Saiyuki: An Unlikely Destiny
by ImaginAries
Summary: Part II Saiyuki: An Unlikely Story has now commenced! The Sanzoikkou first traveled to Modern Day America, but the real adventure now begins as the girls are finally transported to Shangri'la. Are they truly fit to be heroes? UPDATED! Chapter 10 is up!
1. Other World

--Author's Note-- Hey! SSR here with a brand new story! Well, it's brand new, KIND OF, since this is actually just a continuation from the first half, Saiyuki: An Unlikely Story. For everyone who has read it, thank you, thank you so much for the kind end of story reviews! They made me grin from ear to ear for a few hours at least, and offered incentive to keep on writing. Which, as you can see, I most certainly have done. I only hope that this new, second half proves to be as interesting as the first one for all of you, if not more so. Right now, I'm going to keep the rating at PG-13, however, this is more than likely going to change because of content in future content. I'm very sorry if this disappoints any readers I have, but as time wears on, things are going to get darker, and bloodier, and well…ha, ha, if nobody's noticed any potential pairings yet, they're also bound to get a little more romantic (and slightly smutty, ne?). Cry and whine all you want about that, but remember, it's my fan fiction and I can do that –nods- I won't respond to flames, so go ahead if you want to, but it's just a waste of time. Oh yes- there will also be some Japanese words and phrases integrated into speaking roles. I'll have a key at the bottom to clear up any confusion you might have whilst reading, but only expect it for the next few chapters. By then you should know what the words mean.

Disclaimer(s)- I don't own Saiyuki nor am I affiliated and so am not making any profit from this story whatsoever. Saiyuki belongs solely to Kazuya Minekura and all other respective creators/owners. (Even though I often like to claim Hakkai's sexiness because…well haha, just LOOK at him!).

**Claimer- Original characters belong to their respective owner(s) and may not be borrowed or reproduced without explicit permission from the author (that'd be me, yo). Fan art would be greatly appreciated, however hehehe.**

Saiyuki: An Unlikely Destiny

**Part II to Saiyuki: An Unlikely Story**

**Chapter One **

**Other World**

_A dream. Had it all been one big dream? There couldn't possibly be any other explanation for something so bizarre happening, right? No way could a portal tear into the air and create passage from one world to another, especially from a place so fictitious to one that breathed reality._

_Yes, a dream was all it was._

_A figment of their imagination even now, as the three young women floated amidst a plane of bright nothingness. The light consumed their forms, carrying them on to an unknown destination, but that didn't matter because they had to have dreamt the entire misadventure._

_The Sanzo-ikkou from Saiyuki didn't one day almost run them over._

_It'd been another Jeep, just a regular Jeep, and the man inside had apologized and went on his way. _

_There never was a harrowing yet exciting two-week stay at Mandi's grandparents' house with four young men from Shangri La._

_The mall trip never happened._

_An answering machine had not been blown to bits by Sanzo's banishing gun._

_There were no backyard talks, kitchen water fights, a picnic, or magical DVDs, nothing like that happened in real life._

_Real life was far too boring, much too dull, and certainly it'd all been some elaborately concocted tale told by a group of four young women who just needed some thrill to break away from every day monotony. _

_Four girls._

_Four young women…had there been four?_

_Perhaps it was only three._

_Wasn't it supposed to only be three females? Three avatars. Three hosts._

_Not four. _

_But a fourth had arrived._

_The fourth had been forgotten._

_At an anime convention, there'd been a quartet not a trio, of young women…_

_…and an octet staying in one room._

_Eight people left from that house to the hotel, traveled in two vehicles: a Chevy Beretta and a black Jeep Wrangler. _

_The same Jeep Wrangler that had nearly mowed three young women down whilst making a Chinese food run. _

_If that hadn't happened…_

_…the Sanzo-ikkou would have taken too long finding the girls._

_It was a twist of fate; no other rationalization could make better sense. _

_Yet it didn't happen because it wasn't possible. It was fanatical, obsessive, wishful, but it couldn't happen, it was impossible, improbable…and so true._

_There was a mall trip. The girls bought clothes for a band of four misfit young men so they'd fit in Modern America. _

_There were backyard talks- two to be exact-, and there were kitchen water fights, and there was a picnic, a magical DVD, and a strange visit to an anime convention._

_During that visit there had indeed attended four young women and four young men. An octet, eight people, who crammed together in one room for the duration of two days. _

_And on the end of the second night chaos tore into the pleasures of a dance party, ripping away all misconceptions about separate planes and paranormal phenomena. _

_On the eve of that second day, the girls witnessed their friend, the fourth girl, disappear; they experienced an abduction of the strangest sort and when she was gone, nothing but charred carpet lay in her stead._

_Aliens would have stood a better chance. Who would believe a youkai from an anime series hopped through a space/time tear, sucked their friend into an orange-red orb, and kidnapped her?_

_When she was gone, the Sanzo-ikkou had gone, and then the Merciful Goddess brought her elemental avatars across as well._

_This is where they still remained, trapped in their limbo, floating in a menagerie of blank spaces. _

_Cautiously, still clinging to each other's hands as they were when entering the silver opening, Katie, Mandi, and Ashley tried to focus on something other than white. They spoke but no sound escaped them. No noise resonated anywhere. _

_Their feet touched solid ground, even if it remained invisible, and as though the simple motion of one step drained all energy, their forms collapsed into a heap._

_Exhaustion set in quickly, filling every limb, nerve, neuron, until all they longed for was sweet, sweet slumber. Sleep brought rejuvenation and rested vexing tension, which they'd very well had more than enough of._

_Their journey had taken half of a lifetime, but now…_

_…they'd be able to sleep…_

_…and in the end of it, would wake up to what life truly had to offer._

* * *

"Katie? Ashley? Hey…wake up you two!" Mandi shook the shoulders of the two young women lying on either side of her, taking a moment to free their clothing of leaves and debris that had collected.

The brunette young woman sighed, shaking them once more before tilting her chin upward, resting her almond hued gaze on the sky. Evening had fallen here; just where _was_ here?

"Come on, wake up already!" She cried before getting her hand slapped away by Ashley's own.

Mandi grinned, holding her wrist as the honey blond young woman groggily sat up, rubbing her hazel eyes.

"Good morning sleepy head."

"Morning?" Ashley inquired, quirking a brow as she too noticed the blue shading of night kissing their surroundings. "You're strange in the head if this is morning to you."

"She's strange in the head anyway." Katie grumbled, stiffly making an attempt to wake up and stretch her arms out. "How long was I asleep for? Gods, I feel like I've been out for ages."

The other two admitted they felt similarly before all three stood, dusting dirt and crumbled flakes of leaf off their clothing- the same clothing they'd worn to the Soap Bubble Rave at ACEN.

"Whoa…alright, so I've got a question…" Mandi raised her hand as a student in a classroom.

"You're not the only one, dear." The eldest turned full circle slowly, sifting a hand through the hair that hung over her eyes. "Where the hell are we?"

"That about sums it up." Ashley stated warily, stepping out away from them. "My head hurts like a bitch."

Nodding, Mandi and Katie followed the youngest of their group, coming to stop on either side of her. In the silence afterward, as they raked every ion of memory, the wind played across their forms, the leaves rustled in the trees above their heads, and remnants of fresh rain drops showered down.

"Oh shit, I remember now!" Mandi cried out, slapping her forehead, spinning quickly in her Mary Jane's to face her friends. "But jeez, I thought it was just a freaking dream. Anyhow, all things considering, like not being at ACEN anymore, I guess it really happened."

Bewildered, Ash and Katie stared at her before the realization hit them both simultaneously.

"Shangri La…we're in Shangri La." Katie began to pace in her spot. "So we're here, but where in the hell is here exactly?"

"Got me," Ashley shrugged, tugging at the hem of her shirt before giving up and crossing her arms. "My question is, if we're in Shangri La, then where is everyone we followed here?"

"The Sanzo Party." Mandi frowned, tapping her chin. "We went in right after them…because Kougaji and Yaone took…they took Erin. We have to find her, you know, we can't leave her with them!"

"Calm down, Mandi. We can't do anything if we can't first figure out where we are. Besides, I'm willing to bet she's safer than we think. Kougaji isn't exactly your typical villain." Katie attempted to reassure the younger brunette even though her nerves were suddenly frayed over the matter. "It'd probably be best to try and find someone who can help us."

"Excuse me, but who here is going to help us when we're dressed like _this_?" Waving a hand the length of her torso, Ashley shook her head. "Compared to everyone else, we're going to look like circus folks or twenty dollar hookers."

"Or two hundred yen hookers." Mandi joked mildly, attempting a half smile. "Ok, so we obviously can't stand here like morons forever, why don't we pick a direction and…walk that way? We're bound to run into someone sooner or later."

"I'd suggest going to the right." Ash offered.

"Why to the right?" Curiously, Katie gazed to the hazel-eyed girl.

"Because I see light to the right. It's probably a camp fire."

Chuckling, Mandi smoothed out her skirt. "Reasonable enough. We might as well, it's a start anyhow."

With the issue resolved, the three began walking with nonchalant attitudes, each somewhat curious as to what lay ahead, mindful at least of their immediate environment, but didn't take the situation far too seriously.

This was their adventure.

This played out what they'd hoped and wished could happen for the longest time.

A break from reality, some wonderful tale to live at last…

As they strode among tall trees with proud branches holding thousands of wind-dancing leaves, their morale rose despite some mild apprehension.

Apprehension that should have been heeded but wasn't.

A screeching cry broke through casual chatter and soon the three girls discovered the leaves hadn't danced because of the wind. The foliage shook because they obstructed the view of an unruly band of the most hideous creatures they'd ever lay eyes upon.

"Um, I think we forgot one little factor about this great adventure." Mandi squeaked, falling close against her two friends, eyebrows knitting together.

Ashley pressed her back to Katie's, gaze quickly flitting over each of the eleven beings surrounding them. "That one little factor wouldn't have been youkai, would it?"

"Bingo was his name-o." Katie breathed. "Now what do we do?"

The brunette absently toyed with her hair ribbons. "I'd suggest running but I think we're completely surrounded."

"How observant."

"Don't hate, appreciate." Mandi yelped, wincing as a youkai took a menacing step toward the smaller group. "Ugh, I feel like such a girly girl!"

"It's understandable- we're not exactly equipped to handle these guys." Ashley observed, her breathing becoming slightly constricted. "Maybe making a break for it is a good idea, I'm not about to become supper for these things."

Whilst the young women quickly and quietly attempted finding a solution, the youkai pack sneered and snarled and made a tighter circle around their soon-to-be prey.

How stupid were these humans?

They didn't even have the sense to try and fight for their lives, did they?

Their clothing appeared odd and out of place, but that didn't matter. Nobody would miss them, not if they were all the way out in the middle of nowhere.

The youkai were hungry; travelers hardly passed through, their clan had dwindled down to only eleven. Starvation drove them mad and unable to wait any longer, they leapt upon the girls.

Letting out a shrill cry, Katie lashed a foot out, kicking away one of the demons that had landed on her, falling to the ground from her own momentum. As she made to kick at a second, she noticed Ashley tumble down some feet away, fending herself from three offenders, and Mandi struggling to keep standing, shaking a leg to get away from a youkai that clung desperately.

"Damnit, this is not working!" Katie shouted irksomely, whacking a demon in the cheek with her fist. It hardly fazed him, if not encouraged. "So much for making a break for it!"

"Rule one- don't talk, just do, ne?" Mandi responded, grunting as she at last gave way and landed hard on her backside. She clamped her hands onto the forearms of the demon attempting to take a chunk out of her shoulder. "I am **not** food! Get off of me!"

Ashley somehow managed to roll to her knees, shoving away two of the three attackers on her, her hair now hanging wildly in her face, as it'd come free of the ponytail. "I'm still choosing to run, you know, but these guys do not want to give in!"

And then, quite suddenly, three shots cracked through the air and a matching amount of youkai fell lifelessly to the ground.

Startled, the girls and the enemy turned to see just what had happened, and as in place as they should have been, the Sanzo-ikkou stood in a strictly straight line just some yards ahead, and quite oddly were wearing their normal traveling attire.

"Well, it's about damn time." Katie grunted, pushing off the slain youkai that had inadvertently died on top of her. "Where the hell were you guys?"

The four men didn't answer; rather, they went to work straight away. Hakuryuu swooped from the sky, claws stretching out as he let out a shrill squawk, becoming a bothersome pest in the face of one youkai. The distraction allowed for both Mandi and Ashley to avoid victimization as they scrambled away, pressing up against a tree. Hakkai pivoted sharply, drawing his arms back, eyes narrowing as he released a ferocious amount of chi at the youkai that the white dragon kept at bay, watching the energy sphere sweep across to wipe out another on right behind the first.

Whether she chose to or not, somehow Katie hadn't yet escaped the throng of battle, flailing an arm out to stun an attacker, ducking next to avoid being skewered by Gojyo's Shakujo. At last she faced no obstacle and joined her friends at the large tree, turning as youkai after youkai fell into bloody heaps on the forest floor.

"How many are left?"

Mandi kept vigil, smiling lightly, not knowing what other expression to really show, "It looks like there are still eleven of them, but if you mean how many are left alive, then it looks to be about…oh…five."

"Smart ass." Ashley pointed out though smirked all the same. "They don't disappear into little particles after all, eh?"

"Nope, guess not. That must've been for anime sake." Katie concluded, ducking then dispersing in synchronized motion with her two friends as Goku batted a demon in their direction.

The offending monster wailed then silenced as its back cracked hard against rough tree bark, the body falling soundly to the ground, barely twitching.

For good measure, Mandi gave it a swift kick in the head, which more or less ceased all movement whatsoever.

"Now nobody can say I didn't help," she grinned, dusting off her hands, yelping as a bullet whizzed above her and then past Ash and Katie to slay another demon.

"How many now?" Katie asked shrilly as lead-packed capsules flurried by, her arms wrapping tightly around her torso to avoid being punched through like paper.

The hazel-eyed blond dropped down, crawling behind the tree, motioning for the two girls to follow. "Three- ah, no two now; Goku just killed another one. Make that one more!"

"Who killed that one?" Mandi craned her neck to see past the wide tree in front of them.

"It killed itself, moronic thing." Katie snorted. "It ran right into Gojyo's attack. Oh! There, that's all of them! Hakkai pitched it and Goku swung away, so to speak."

"Can we get up now? I think I tore my skirt…great." Light brown eyes fluttered down to check the black fabric only to confirm the assumption and Mandi groaned lightly, pushing up to her feet. "I loved this skirt."

"I agree with what you said before about sounding like a girly girl." Ashley snickered, accepting the hand to help pull her to standing position. "Where's Katie?"

Turning, the female duo found the oldest woman storming toward the Sanzo-ikkou with some vigor so they decided to go after her.

"I'm glad you guys came when you did. I don't think we could have held them off without your help!" Katie vocalized gratuitously, pulling the bobby pins from her hair. It'd been mussed during the skirmish anyhow, no use in trying to still look pretty. In doing so, she hadn't noticed the bewildered expressions reading on the young men's faces.

As Mandi stepped up beside the elder brunette, attempting to keep her skirt together with one hand, she grinned sheepishly as Hakkai greeted her with a soft "Mandi-san", not realizing the term he'd never used before with her.

"Hey Hakkai…you guys have impeccable timing, have you ever realized that? We'd have been mincemeat if not for you."

Ashley crossed her arms, cocking one eyebrow above the other, observing the still rather bemused visages of the Sanzo-ikkou. "What's up with you guys? Why are you looking at us like that?"

After a short period of silenced seconds, Goku tilted his glittering golden gaze to his comrades, adjusting the diadem that apparently restored itself upon reentry to Shangri la.

_"Nani? What did they say? How come we can't understand them?"_

Whilst Sanzo merely stood unresponsive, Gojyo and Hakkai shrugged in unison, shaking their heads.

_"No idea."_ Hakkai narrowed his emerald gaze, stepping up to the girls. _"Daijoubu?"_

"Uh…what'd he say?" Katie glanced to her friends, perplexed. "That wasn't English, was it?"

"I'm thinking that's a big ten-four." Mandi scratched her cheek with her free hand. "I have to say my Japanese is _really_ limited, but I think 'daijoubu' means basically, 'are you okay?' which, I think we are."

Ashley nodded slowly. "I hope you're right. What else do you know?"

"Um. 'Hai', 'Iie', 'Arigatou' and some other random phrases that probably won't help us out too much at the moment. Sorry."

Sighing collectively, the girls shrugged and nodded in confirmation to Hakkai that they were indeed alright, however, the language barrier was quite baffling.

When visiting the girls' world, the guys could speak perfect English, however, here, it seemed that the situation was just the opposite for the girls.

Sanzo turned his back, muttering to his group. "_Let's go back to camp. There's no use sticking around here."_

_"Ne, Sanzo-sama, they're coming with us, aren't they?"_ Goku inquired, jumping beside the monk.

_"I don't think so. I'd rather leave them behind to be honest."_ The reply came gruffly enough for the young women to tell Sanzo's grumpy mood.

At this, Gojyo spun on his heels, propping his Shakujo onto his shoulder. _"Now just a minute, Buddha, ya don't mean to tell me that after all they did for us we're just supposed to leave them out here to fend for themselves, do ya?"_

_"Gee, aren't you the perceptive one?"_ Sanzo quipped dryly, lighting a cigarette as his steps slowed. _"As far as I'm concerned, all they did was play dress-up with us and lead us on wild goose chases all over town. I don't call that helping, I call that poking fun and self-entertainment."  
_Hakkai's brow furrowed, and after holding up his hands to the girls in indication to just sit tight, he turned to speak to Sanzo as well.

_"Sanzo, with all due respect, they did offer to help us search, but it was you who continued to turn them down. Not to mention they did give us shelter, beds to sleep in, and all that food. They gave us hospitality when they didn't have to. I'd say that was more than enough. Besides, the Merciful Goddess says they're the Elementals we were sent to find, so it's not like the trip was fruitless."_

Turning sharply, Sanzo glowered to his three companions. _"You three are too damn incorrigible, you're giving me a headache. I don't believe that they're these Elemental Avatars, or whatever the hell they are, and I sure as hell don't need or want extra baggage."_

_"Extra baggage?!" _Goku cried out. _"They have every right to be here now whether or not they're the elementals, which that lady said they were, Sanzo-sama! Their friend is missing! Erin is gone because Kougaji took her! We should help them find her!"_

Exhaling loudly, the monk swept his fan across the heretic's head. _"Urusai, baka-saru! They can find their friend on their own time! We have a different mission that's more important."_

_"Aw, come on Sanzo, please?"_ Hakkai smiled broadly, set on getting the girls at least one night's lenience. _"How about a compromise?"_

_"Yeah man, coz there's no way I'm camping out in the woods without a woman by my side, monk. Hear Hakkai out."_ Gojyo stood his ground too, sending a wink in the female trio's direction. The three returned the gesture with weak smiles, their curiosity beginning to eat away at them.

Wavering, Sanzo huffed, taking a drag from his cigarette. _"Fine. What are you suggesting then, Hakkai? It'd better not be stupid or I'm not going to hesitate in shooting you."_

_"Maa, maa, Sanzo-sama." _The dark haired young man raised his hands palms out in defense. _"My proposal is simply this: to at least repay them for taking us in while we were in their world, why don't we have them come along with us to the next town and see what happens there? From there we can decide whether or not they continue with us or stay behind."_

_"Sounds reasonable, man, c'mon."_ The hanyou persisted along with Goku who about looked ready to burst into a fit if Sanzo didn't cave.

Rolling his violet eyes, the blond monk waved a hand, walking back toward the glow of a campfire. _"Whatever. Do what you want, I don't care anymore."_

_"Alright!"_ Goku pumped a fist into the air rambunctiously, waving to the three girls, gesturing for them to follow.

"So I guess that means we go." Ashley murmured, resuming her steps to follow after the group.

"I bet we have Hakkai, Gojyo, and Goku to thank for wearing Sanzo down, eh?" Mandi chimed, still clutching the side of her skirt together, finding it increasingly difficult to walk without losing her grip. "Katie, what's wrong? You seem worried."

"I am." The eldest admitted, frowning. "Erin's gone, for one thing, and we don't know how to find her. We're the elementals that these four dorks were looking for all along and we don't know the first thing about what we're supposed to do yet. Not to mention there's a language barrier, so we'll have to rely solely on body language and Mandi's limited knowledge of the Japanese language, _plus_ if we're going anywhere with them, just where in the hell are we going to get transportation?"

"Ah, right…I don't imagine Hakuryuu can hold all seven of us, that'd be a tight squeeze." The younger brunette tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"I'm also not happy about another fact." Katie crossed her arms as they entered the clearing where the guys set up camp.

"What's that?" Ashley glanced toward the blue-eyed young woman.

"Our animals have been left behind. Our horses would've really been perfect for following them with, but we have nothing. Those animals were our lives, Ash, and now they're stuck in that shit-hole world while we're here frolicking in adventure!"

Mandi gingerly placed a hand on Katie's shoulder. "We don't know what's going to happen yet. You're worried, I understand that, but for right now, we've got to figure out what _we're_ going to do if Sanzo decides to dump us off at the next town. It's not going to do us much good to worry over the animals while we should first try and figure out what to do about _our_ situation."

"Please don't lecture me, Mandi. It's a little different for you. You don't have to worry about leaving animals behind that you've put your heart and soul into taking care of." Katie snapped, blue eyes cold. "If I don't know how they are, I can't help but worry about it."

Withdrawing her hand, the younger girl nodded, turning her head away, gazing at the fire. From her peripheral vision, she saw the party of four had taken their seats, three staring at the rise of heated discussion.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…but you're not the only one who's left something behind." Without much more to say, Mandi departed from Katie and Ashley to stand near the fire. Her insides felt cold and twisted as fear and apprehension vied to overwhelm her.

Ashley cleared her throat, feeling some sympathy but chose not to take sides. "I'm sure we'll figure something out, Katie. You'll worry, but try not to let it really take over everything else. We'll find transportation somehow, and as for the animals…worrying is all we can do at the moment, so I guess for now we should just trust they're going to be fine."

"I suppose." Katie muttered, taking a short step to the campfire's warmth. "I'm just still tired, and I'm hungry, and suddenly very frustrated that we can't communicate with these guys as well as we could before."

"Understandable. It'll be hard for us all." The honey blond agreed, coming to sit on the springy grass where Gojyo had motioned for her to, albeit she kept some fair distance from the hanyou.

Immediately, Goku stuck a bowl of rice beneath Ashley's nose, grinning to her. _"Eat it go ahead. You three are probably really hungry. You were asleep for a long time!"_

Ash accepted the rice. She couldn't understand a single word that Goku had just spoken, but assumed it'd been friendly, and holding up the bowl, nodded in appreciation. The youth beamed, taking up another bowl to offer to Katie who declined politely. Nonetheless, the chestnut haired youth left the rice next to the young woman's seated form. Usually he'd eat it, however, he felt rather generous and decided sharing was the proper thing to do.

Scooping the last of the rice into a third bowl, Hakkai stood, taking a tentative step toward Mandi who appeared now to examine her torn skirt.

_"What happened there?"_

The brunette looked up quickly, arching an eyebrow at Hakkai. She hadn't the slightest what he just asked her, but at least could determine it'd been a question.

At the young woman's confusion, the green eyed young man chuckled, adjusting his monocle. That's right, there was that issue of a language barrier now to remember. He sighed, smiling lightly, and with his free hand gestured to the skirt being held together by her hand.

"I tore it, obviously." She muttered, though didn't want to push her sudden foul mood onto him. Searching her mind, Mandi could only come up with one answer to sum it all up. "Youkai."

_"Ah, sou desu ne?"_ Hakkai understood the reply well enough, turning to glance at his supply pack. Perhaps he had a bit of string and a needle for sewing in there. How many times he'd repaired everyone's clothing remained countless, so he surely could mend the skirt, especially since it had torn straight along the stitch line. _"Here, take this, eat it- you're probably hungry, and maybe I can fix that for you."_

Mandi took the bowl he held out to her, but couldn't eat just yet as her other hand's fingers still clutched tightly at the fabric, holding it together. Her knuckles were beginning to turn white smattered with pink, hand aching.

"Arigatou." She murmured softly, to which the young man smiled before dropping to dig through the supply pack.

Goku sat promptly beside Katie, gazing at her curiously, every now and again inching the bowl of rice toward her some more.

_"C'mon, eat it! Dozou…"_

Gojyo scoffed, rolling his crimson gaze, lighting a cigarette off of the fire blazing in the middle of camp. _"Baka. It doesn't matter how many times you try to talk to them, they're just not gonna understand it monkey. Apparently while we could speak their language in their world, they can't do it here."_

Sanzo snorted, sliding violet eyes to the hanyou. _"I wonder why that is. If they were the Elementals, don't you think they'd be able to communicate with us? They have no need to because they don't belong here."_

_"Can ya be so sure about that, monk?"_ Gojyo retorted, leaning forward in challenge. The reflection of flames played in his eyes, causing their crimson hue to truly appear as though they burned. _"Why else would they be here then?"_

_"Yeah, Sanzo, that just doesn't make sense. If they didn't belong here, then that lady wouldn't have told them to come with us, ne?"_ Goku argued, peering between Ashley and Katie, who both seemed mildly interested in the chatter.

Huffing, Sanzo turned his face from the fire to stare forest-direction. _"So maybe they're here just to find their friend and then they'll leave. They're not who we were supposed to find, and I'm sticking to that. If you'll excuse me, I'm turning in for the night."_

He stood haughtily, tossing a cigarette butt flame-ward, and then ducked into the pitched tent.

Noticing Ashley's stare, Gojyo grinned crookedly, winking at her showily. _"Don't worry about that, ya know how Sanzo can be, ne?"_

Assuming the hanyou man made fun of the priest, the young blond woman shrugged before looking to Katie. "Where do you think we're going to sleep?"

"I don't know, though it hardly seems like we're equipped to bunk outside."

"And I doubt the tent will hold us all, no matter how much Gojyo might try to fit us," Mandi piped up, going for some light heartedness.

The young women laughed softly, casting suspicious eyes to whom they spoke of and Gojyo arched a brow at them.

What did he do?

Nothing yet that he knew of- key word being 'yet'.

Stifling a yawn, Goku scooted closer to the fire, cautious not to get _too_ near, and pulling his pack along to rest his head upon, was content to curl up in the warmth emitted. His golden eyes' lids weighted down until closing completely, falling deep into slumber within moments.

"Is it really that late?" Katie questioned, peering skyward once again where the moon shone dimly behind a curtain of misty gray.

"Must be so." Ash stated simply, making a face at Gojyo who had stood, offering a hand to her. "If you think I'm following you, Red, you have another think coming. I'm satisfied to sleep out here, thank you."

_"Ch, I don't know what ya said, honey, but I know what that tone means. You're gonna make me bed down alone aren't ya? I can't believe you're turning down my comfort for grass and trees. Ah well…I should've known, ne?"_ Gojyo chuckled, flicking his cigarette into the fire, lifting his shoulders, hands out. _"Suit yourself, but don't complain in the morning that ya have a stiff neck."_

_"Save your breath, Gojyo; it's not as though you've really got room to talk about stiff anything."_ Hakkai mused, straightening from his supply pack at last, withdrawing a sewing needle and black spool of thread. He smirked lightly in his comrade's direction as the hanyou man vanished into the tent.

Chortling, the oldest brunette young woman teased her junior friend. "Aw, poor Gojyo! Come on Ash, it's not like you didn't want to go in there with him."

Playing along, Ashley staged a wistful sigh. "Ah, I know, it's just that Sanzo is in there and three's a crowd."

"Well, I'm still tired, and I don't feel like sleeping outside. I just might try and milk the monk of some hospitality for once." Katie hoisted up to her feet, forgetting about the bowl of rice still waiting to be eaten, and padded off toward the tent.

Mandi and Ashley watched wordlessly as their friend disappeared inside, waiting all of three seconds before hearing a solid '_thwack', _and not long after did Katie return outside, dejected.

"So much for that, eh?" Ashley giggled, stretching to lie on her back groggily, taking after Goku's idea. "It's a nice night and the ground isn't too bad to sleep on."

Crossly, Katie sat at the fire once more. "The tent is too cramped anyhow. Eh, this'll have to do. Good night then." She lay down, back to the fire, facing the line of thick trees surrounding camp.

If she fell asleep, would she wake up to see everything gone?

When she woke up, would she be in her bed, in her room, disappointed to discover it'd all been a dream after all?

While she worried over her beloved pets, Katie also didn't want to chance returning to the world she and her friends grew up in.

Silently praying to wake up in the place she fell asleep in, the young woman drifted off.

Mandi watched her two friends fall asleep, standing with a bowl of rice in one hand and pinching her skirt closed with the other, wondering how long she'd remain there looking like an idiot.

When Hakkai tapped her shoulder, she turned, seeing him hold up the needle and thread.

"You can sew? Heh, I guess it's not that hard to believe, being the effeminate one and all…not to mention, I imagine you've had to provide for yourself quite a bit."

The youth detected only a friendly tone, smiling outwardly, though inside was infuriated that he couldn't even remember any of the words he'd spoken and comprehended in English. Kneeling down, Hakkai gently took Mandi's hand away from the fabric, replacing it with his own, focusing merely on the task at hand.

Blushing furiously, the brunette girl averted her eyes to drown in the depths of her rice bowl, eating mechanically if only to take her mind off of the quick hands mending her clothes. T Hakkai too fought heated cheeks as he worked quietly, slightly embarrassed about having to keep his hands near the young woman's thigh, sewing quickly and efficiently. His green gaze stayed unblinking, fingers nimbly pulling a thin silver needle in and out of black fabric in a simple stitch. When he finished, knotting it off at the bottom neatly, Hakkai stood up, offering to take the empty bowl from Mandi.

_"That'll do it, Mandi-san. It should hold together at least until the next town, which isn't too far off now, I believe. If I had to guess, I'd say we could even walk there within a few hours and then perhaps you'll be able to get someone to mend that far better than I did."_

"This is going to be the death of me. I have no clue what you said." Sighing, she ran her fingers along the trim stitches and smiled, at last sitting down, mindful not to pop the threads, and leaned back against a stump. "I feel like a dope because I can't say anything else that you understand…but…thank you, Hakkai."

_"Do itashimashite, Mandi-san. I'm turning in now. We'll be up early…sleep well."_ Shaking his head inwardly, wondering why anyone was bothering any conversation, Hakkai slipped inside the tent as well.

As night wore on, dwindling into early gray dawn laced by hazy golden blue and pink, the trio of young women would indeed find themselves awakening once again to Shangri la, their Other World.

* * *

Japanese word/phrase Key:

Maa, maa- usually translates into "Now, now"

Sou desu ne?- Is that so?

Daijoubu?- Are you alright? (Can also translate into "I'm ok/alright" or "It's alright." Without the ? )

Urusai- Be quiet, silence, shut-up

Baka- Stupid/Fool/Moron/Idiot…ect.

Saru- Monkey/Ape/Chimp

Hai- Yes

Iie- No

Arigatou – Thank you (also can be written as Domo Arigatou)

Dozo- Please

Gomen – I'm sorry, excuse me, pardon me (apologetic)

Do itashimashite- You're welcome

Yare yare – Man, oh man


	2. The Boys are Back in Town

Author's Note**Sorry it took so long everyone! I'd like to thank everyone for the great reviews left for chapter one. I was encouraged to keep going, unfortunately a couple of different big moves had to be made, which hindered me from completing and posting this next chapter. It's here now, though, and I do hope you all enjoy it. Because this was done on Wordpad, rather than MS Word, there may be spelling, grammatical, and tenses errors that I've missed. Please point them out if you catch any and I'll be sure to fix them : Oh yes, I'd also like to thank Katie for implaning a deviously wonderful idea into my head for a section later on in the chapter. You'll see what I mean. -giggle-.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I associated with Saiyuki Gaiden, Gensoumaden, Reload, Reload: Gunlock, Requiem, or ZeroSum nor am I making any profit whatsoever from this story. It's merely for entertainment purposes- first of all mine, and then my friends, and then for everyone else. Please don't sue me, Minekura-sama, I luff the boys too much to try and make money off of them illegally. : **

**Claimers:All original characters belong to me and their rightful respective owners. The plot of the story is of my own imagination with some help from my fun twisted minded friends. Don't steal. I'll know. GRR. **

**Chapter Two**

** The Boys are Back in Town**

Bright and early on the day following his party's return to Shangri'la, Genjyo Sanzo awoke with a start to the sound of something loud striking something solid. What the hell was that? Why did it have to wake him up right now? He felt exhausted beyond belief, thanks to a reason he had yet to discover. Figuring the sound came from an event he wouldn't want to deal with, but would have to anyhow, the monk stood and slipped back into his robes.

Stepping outside as his thin hands pieced the accessories of his outfit back together, Sanzo spotted Goku sitting dazed beside the smoldering breakfast fire. A red splotch marked his right cheek angrily and the youth furiously rubbed it with his palm, golden eyes wide in shock.

_"Itai! K'so, Gojyo you damn water sprite, what's the deal!"_

Already Sanzo wished he had just stayed in the tent. It was too early for this shit.

The hanyou sniggered, waving around an old newspaper he had found whilst digging for one item or another inside his supply pack.

_"Ya just looked so tired, chimpy, I thought I'd wake ya up. After all, Hakkai did ask you to watch the fire; don't go sleepin' on the job."_

Sneering, the heretic dropped his hand from his cheek, poking the fire a bit. _"I wasn't falling asleep you big purple-haired stupid head! I was blinking!"_

_"Well ya just blinked for a moment too long, I guess dumb monkey- I was just takin' extra safety precautions." _Gojyo snapped back, waving the newspaper above his head threateningly. _"So ya better not do it again or I'll whack ya one good!"_

From the tent's opposite side, Hakkai spoke as he and Katie prepared food to be cooked for breakfast. Despite the language barrier, the pair were faring quite well.

_"Oh my...speaking of safety precautions, it's exactly why I had Goku watch the fire instead of you, Gojyo." _

Katie lifted her head just a moment. She couldn't understand a word that was being spoken, but she probably could have guessed simply by the tones being used. Goku and Gojyo were arguing, and now Hakkai was teasing his hanyou friend about something.

_"Nan de?"_ Gojyo turned curiously, smirking toward the green eyed youth.

_"I can't very well ask someone with a lower maturity level to play with fire, now can I my friend?"_ Hakkai adjusted his monocle as he teased mercilessly._ "The whole forest might burn down otherwise. That's an awfully big disaster to hold responsibility for."_

Gojyo's jaw dropped incredulously though he did lose the newspaper fast by tossing it into the dancing flames. The fire licked at the new kindling gratefully, flaring up again for a few moments. Despite Goku's inane laughter at Hakkai's insult, the red-haired man did nothing to repute it and sat himself down heavily, brooding.

Sanzo scowled, sitting by the fire as well. This was exactly why he preferred to sleep in his own room at an inn. He placed hiding away from the rest of his misfit crew at the top of his priority list.

Katie smiled faintly at the laughter from Goku -it had to have been funny, it usually was, although, without comprehension of what'd been actually said, the joke pretty much lost it's effect on her funny bone. Her eyes traveled toward Ashley and Mandi as Hakkai moved to cook breakfast. Both girls were studying a map which the brunette young man had handed to them some time earlier that morning.

"Hey, what're you looking for?"

Ashley shook her head, distracted from the hard map-reading. "No idea. Hakkai gave us the map, said something and then walked away. We can't even understand what's written on it, but we're trying like hell to guess."

"What did he say?" Katie glanced to Hakkai before approaching her two friends.

Mandi sighed. "Chizu...then Nishi." She shook her head of dark cherry-chocolate locks. "Nishi means West, and if I'm not mistaken, Chizu means Map...unless he said Chiizu which means cheese, but I hardly think that's the case." A quite chuckle escaped her. "I can see Westwe know that's where they're going, so I don't know why he said it."

The older brunette girl pondered, crouching down beside the younger one. "Can you see the course plotted out?"

Looking down, Mandi blinked and then squealed loudly at what her observation revealed. "Yeah! He marked their route!"

Bringing his gaze sharply up to the girls, Hakkai placed his forefinger to his lips as a sign of discretion. A ghostly smile curved his mouth, eyes slipping toward Sanzo who had thankfully chosen to disregard the vocalization and then returned it toward the three young women. He knew they would figure out what the map was for; he'd had an extra stashed away in his pack, but if Sanzo saw it and realized it, he'd surely grow suspicious.

"Ok, well?" Ashley urged, shaking Mandi's shoulder. "If you're through making eyes with lover-boy over there, mind telling us what's up?"

"Hey now, it's not like that!" Mandi blushed intensely, tearing her own gaze from being locked with Hakkai's and folded the map carefully in her hands. "So don't make it out like it is, ok?"

"Ooh, she's turning red!" Katie grinned toothily, prodding the middle girl in the shoulder teasingly. "What did you and Hakkai do last night after everyone else fell asleep, hmm?"

"Nothing!" The darker haired girl cried out defensively, lifting her hands up.

Ashley prodded Mandi's other shoulder. "Yeah, right, nothing! You two are always going off together, it's pretty obvious."

"There's_ nothing _going on; you both of all people should know the reason why." Mandi responded, having sobered up from her flustered antics, thrusting her hand out with the map in it to the oldest. "Here, put that into one of your pockets and hang on tight to it. As for what the map is for and from the looks of it, it's marked the trail so far right up through the next few towns. The closest one appears as though it's within walking distance- maybe a few hours, I don't know for sure though."

Taking the hint, the other two killed the jesting. The blond girl crossed her arms, speaking her thoughts aloud. "Maybe it's so we know how to get there if we get separated from them."

"Or if there's no room for us in the Jeep and Sanzo decides to make us walk there." Katie offered, pushing a hand through her hair thoughtfully. "You said it looked like it was in walking distance after all."

"Ding-ding-ding!" Mandi grinned. "At least, I'm pretty sure this is why he gave us the map. If it isn't the reason, then I have no idea...Do you think Sanzo would really make us walk all that way?"

Shrugging, Ashley situated herself to standing up. "Who knows. I'd hope not, since we helped them out a lot when they were in our world." Her words cut off after that- how strange it felt to say such a thing... 'our world'...a totally different plane of existance which they may or may not ever lay eyes on again.

Hakkai turned his eyes away after Mandi averted hers to explain her theory to her friends. She was a smart girl- they all were- but if she knew him as well as she seemed to, Mandi would definitely realize why he'd given them the map to begin with. A light smile tugged at his lips, peering to the group, noticing her reddened face and the way she hid it when Katie and Ashley giggled and poked her in the arms. _'She looks quite embarrassed. They must be teasing her about something...hm...funny...that's exactly how Kanan used to react when I teased her...'_ Immediately the young man hung his head and focused on his task. Breakfast would be ready shortly, it wouldn't do him any good to wallow in the past and draw parallels between it and the present.

As the girls chatted on, Sanzo lit a cigarette and eyed them warily.

He wanted them gone. He knew that he didn't have much reason to remain suspicious of them. They already proved to him in unspoken ways that they were not out to destroy the traveling group- he knew he had nothing to truly fear from them. However, for his own peace of mind, he would have much preferred them to leave Shangri'la as soon as possible.

_"They don't belong here."_

Goku halted his sniffing over Hakkai's shoulder to look at the monk.

_"Demo...maybe not, but they gotta find Erin still, Sanzo."_

_"That's not my problem. They wanted to come here- they got their wish. That doesn't change that they shouldn't be here- at least they shouldn't be here with us. I don't see why it's my responsibility to watch after them, anyway."_

_"Mou, Sanzo!"_ Gojyo furrowed his eyebrows at the blond man, glancing fleetingly to the girls. _"Don't be such a dickhead. Man, you really are lacking in the kind, compassionate, and generous department, aren't ya?"_

_"Hn...I'm not that kind of monk."_ Sanzo spat, glowering to his hanyou companion. _"We're where we should be, that's most of what matters. I'm not here to play keeper to your little brothel, water sprite, there is a more important mission at hand, if you remember."_

At this, Hakkai took his attention away from cooking and shot a heated stare to Sanzo. _"That's crossing the line, my friend. You knew very well that what you said was an empty insult and insinuation. We agreed we'd at least bring them to the next town, and that's precisely what we should do to at least repay them for their hospitality towards us. Besides, the Merciful Goddess did say they were the Elemental Avatars, didn't she? Have faith in that."_

Not at all appreciating being told what to do, or the biting harshness of Hakkai's opening statement, Sanzo stood abruptly, throwing his cigarette butt into the fire. If steam could have risen off the top of his head, there would have been plenty to cover him in a fine misty cloud. _"Last time I checked, Hakkai, **I** was in charge of what goes on. I don't care what that hag said about them. If they're so special, they can find their own way to town. We're leaving. Now."_

Gazing in suprise, Goku leapt backward and flailed his arms. _"Nani! Demo, Sanzo! What about breakfast? We didn't even eat yet! That's not fair! Ne, Sanzo!"_

Gojyo narrowed his crimson eyes, flicking his morning cigarette away as well. _"K'so, Sanzo, what the hell crawled up your ass and died, anyway? Maybe you're not one to have faith in the gods, but damnit, don't assume that just because these girls are 'supposedly special' that they'd be fine if we picked up and left 'em here. They'll die if there are anymore youkai around, y'know?"_

Snorting, Sanzo promptly strode to the Jeep and sat in his usual place, eliciting a perplexed squawk from under the hood. Wasn't it too early to move just yet? The monk knew, deep inside,that his actions were beyond childish, yet his anger and frustration had overwhelmed him, drowning out any voice of reason.

_"If they're smart enough, they'll follow our trail."_ He glanced accusingly at Hakkai. As though the open map in the girls' hands before wasn't totally noticeable. _"Leave the food, they can have that at least. Goku, Gojyo, move your asses and take the tent down now; get our things together. If those girls want to go West, they can do it alone. I don't need excess baggage."_

Hakkai didn't budge as the other two reluctantly proceeded in taking the tent down.Though knew this was an argument that nobody but Sanzo would win, he had to try and reason with him all the same. _"Sanzo, you know Gojyo is right. What if there are more demons out there while they're traveling? They hardly look as though they're capable of banishing anything that powerful- they would have lost their lives last night had we not intervened. Elementals or not, Sanzo, they're going to need our help for a little while at least. If they die..."_

_"If they die then it's because they're weak."_ The monk folded his arms defiantly, feigning obliviousness to the young women who had now stood and stared in bewilderment. If he didn't look at them, then he couldn't see their lost expressions and feel guilt for doing this. Why did he resist so? Why was he so damn pig-headed that he couldn't even offer that much compassion to even escort the young women to town? Something ate away at the ice coating his heart, yet it wasn't guilt. it was something else that had eluded a name for a few days now. _"Like I said, if they follow the trail then they won't have to worry about youkai. Not that we'll be looking for any, but you know demons find us anywhere we go. If we get attacked then it lessens the chances of the girls running into them. That's the extent of my hospitality. Now...let's go."_

_"Demo...Sanzo-sama..."_ Hakkai frowned, resorting to the formal of the blond haired man's title. He stood as the supplies were loaded into the Jeep. This would be his last chance- his last chance to beg. Was he really not above begging? The chance came and went.

_"**Now** Hakkai."_

_"...Yes sir..."_ Dejected, the brunette man turned to look at the young women as his feet made a backward track toward the iron vehicle. He could read their faces- they suddenly knew what was happening. Their realization grew in their eyes and yet they were unmoving, waiting to see the outcome. _"I'm so...gods, this is unfair to you isn't it? Gomen nasai, my dears...gomen. Forgive us, dozou...do take care."_

"Eh, what was that?" Katie frowned as Goku and Gojyo murmured as well, passing the girls one last time to sit glumly in the back seat.

"They apologized." Mandi murmured. "Hakkai said more, I couldn't understand, but they apologized...they're leaving us."

Ashley glowed in anger as Hakkai looked plaintively toward them before peeling off into the trees. "Sanzo's such a prick! You know it was him- he couldn't even take us to town!"

"Goddamnit all to hell!" Katie cried out in fury, taking a few racing steps after the Jeep though realized it was futile to try and chase it. "I can't believe him! I'm gonna kill that damn monk! Granted that we ever find him again." Whirling about, she vented. "After _we_ helped them out, Sanzo decides to just dump us here for no reason at all? What the hell is wrong with him? There are demons out there!"

"I hardly think he didn't have a reason. He's always got a reason." Ashley grumbled, her hazel gaze not leaving the empty place that had once been occupied by Hakuryuu. "Something probably pissed him off- the fact that we're here after all his refusal to bring us, or you know, anything else that generally regards us. At least we know the other three weren't happy about leaving us here."

Mandi chewed her lower lip, kneeling at the fire to remove the fried noodles and sliced mandarin oranges. "I'm willing to bet we will see them all again. We'll just have to try our best with that map and once we're in town, try to look for them. If that doesn't work out...well, we _are_ the Elementals after all, according to what Kanzeon said. Something is bound to work out."

"How can you be so calm?" Katie asked, lifting an eyebrow toward the kneeling young woman. "That all might work out, but what about the youkai? What's going to stop them from attacking us again? Especially since we have no idea how to use any of this elemental stuff to our advantage just yet."

"I'm not calm." Mandi smiled upward, masking her fear. "I'm quite nervous. I just think freaking out over it isn't going to help us too much. So...since you didn't eat last night, have something now, and when we're finished, we should go."

Sighing, defeated, the blue-eyed woman complied and sat, taking her share of their breakfast- which served more like brunch from the looks of where the sun was positioned. The Sanzo-ikkou had left more around eleven or noon than extremely early, considering the girls had been awake since right after dawn that day.

At the thought of Sanzo, the reminder of his selfishness, Katie huffed and pretended that every orange slice she consumed was in fact the monk's head being squashed between her jaws over, and over, and over again.

* * *

_"Sanzo, I've got to say I'm rather worried about the girls." _ Hakkai spoke from over a cup of freshly brewed Chai Tea, emerald gaze immersed in the steaming liquid gently rippling across the brim. _"We've been here a few hours at least...it'll be dark soon...and I've seen no sign of them."_

The monk didn't bother raising his purple gaze from a rice platter and miso soup. He pretended to not have heard anything Hakkai just said...it was easier that way. They had more important matters which concerned youkai and Gyumaoh's resurrection. Shangri'la had begun to sink deeper into chaos in the young men's short absence- in fact, somehow, they had managed to be MIA for an entire month according to the calender hanging up on the restaurant's wall. Two weeks in Modern Day America equaled an entire month in Shangri'la? According to Hakkai how sick of him Sanzo was beginning to get, as improbable as it may seem it was entirely possible if the places existed in two separate planes.

Whatever. Sanzo didn't want anything to do with those girls, and that included reminders of their past two weeks spent. Out of sight, out of mind. He had no need to worry...

* * *

_- After reserving four single rooms at the inn, the young travelers parted ways to take care of their own necessities. Naturally, Gojyo took the liberty of scoping out the local female human livestock whilst popping in and out of the few bars and taverns littered about the town. Goku's stomach decided to glue itself to his spine and so he pestered Sanzo about his undulating hunger, claiming death would sweep him away soon if he didn't eat. Sanzo, not wanting to hear the repetative whining, passed the heretic along to Hakkai, telling the brunette man to buy Goku food while looking to replete their supplies._

_During their walk through town and even inside the marketplace, Hakkai kept an eye peeled for even a glimpse of the girls. Honey-blond hair, auburn-brown hair, or deep chocolate marked by cherry red...he didn't see them anywhere. Perhaps it came needlessly, this apprehension, but he couldn't shake off the guilt of having left them behind like that. They had no warning, they couldn't understand the conversation between the four men, they had no way of knowing until after the fact...He only hoped that they didn't think this was the reason for giving them the map. It was meant as their guide in case they were all separated, not if they were purposely left alone. _

_His head hung low as he tried to read their shopping list, grateful that Goku's words were staved by a meatbun at the moment. Hakkai supposed he could have negated Sanzo's orders further, however he knew he must remain loyal to the monk. They had a deed to do, a land to save, playing the heroes even against their wills. _

_"Ne, Hakkai?" Goku spoke with unusual somberness, breaking through the other's thoughts. "I'm kinda worried. The girls don't have anyone here but us to show 'em the ropes like we had there. What if something does happen to them? What if we didn't kill all the demons between there and here?"_

_"Indeed." Hakkai sighed, handing off a paper sack of groceries to the youth. "I suppose we'll have to trust that we did all we could and hope that they're alright, Goku."_

_The chestnut haired boy shrugged, eyes casting in a far off distracted manner. Truth told, he held more concern for Erin. She'd been the one stolen away by Kougaji, in front of everyone, and nobody could manage a damn thing to help the girl. _

_"What does he want with her, anyway?"_

_Without missing a beat, knowing of whom his friend spoke, Hakkai replied softly. _

_"I'm not so sure. If I had to make a guess, I'd say it was for a more personal matter than reviving Gyumaoh. The fire in his eyes showed me that much." Wouldn't he be quite familiar with the expression Kougaji wore when he took Erin in the Fire Sphere? Hadn't Hakkai bore that same visage nearly three and a half years ago?_

_The words hardly did much to satisfy Goku, however he kept the rest of his bantering thoughts to himself...-_

_

* * *

_

_"Ne, Sanzo, didn't ya hear what Hakkai said?"_ Gojyo waved a hand in front of the irate monk. _"Don't ya think we should maybe look for them?"_

_

* * *

_

When the violet eyed priest continued to ignore any and all mention of the young women, Hakkai felt his patience deplete in one fell swoop. His palm slapped against the table top, rattling plates and glasses.

_"Sanzo, how can you be **so** stubborn!"_

At this, the blond _did_ lift his chin, speaking cooly. _"You're attracting attention."_

Green eyes rounded in disbelief, fire igniting within a potential for murderous intent. Gojyo and Goku silently slid their chairs back an inch or so as their comrade's anger grew. Hakkai, by no means, seemed like the smiling happy dandy they were used to.

_"Is that all you're worried about! My attracting attention to us? What does that matter right now? I can't believe you Sanzo- those girls helped us when we needed it, and you don't even have the **decency** to at least escort them to a safe place! The audacity of it is unforgivable!"_

A haze of dark amethyst met maddening emerald.

_"Don't make me out to be a villian, Hakkai. If I wanted your opinion on what was forgivable and what wasn't, I'd have asked, so as far as this issue is concerned, the conversation is over."_

Defiantly, Hakkai pounded a fist on the table again, standing away from his chair. Dishes rattled once more in complaint and the young man bowed his head, peering dangerously past the dark hair obscuring his vision. _"Like hell this conversation is over! Stop running from it- it's not something you can run from. We are **not** through here. You're letting pride and spite overwhelm your better judgement and because of this their lives may be in danger. How can you let three innocents wander alone, knowing that they're unarmed and defenseless against the youkai!"_

Ignoring the gaping stares from surrounding patrons, Hakkai tried to calm the animosity boiling his veins. Sanzo's nonchalantness only did more to fuel the raging fire rushing within.

_"They're special, remember? They don't need our help. They have that so called Merciful Goddess Hag to look after them."_ The monk snarled, also forgetting the fact that people were watching.

_"Blow it up your **ass**, Sanzo." _Hakkai huffed, growling low. This would all come to resolution later, it would have to, but right now he'd get everything out. _"If they die then that is more blood on our hands. **Needless** blood on our hands- and I for one refuse to let it happen. Do as you wish, **my friend**, but until I decide it so this time- we're not going any farther until we find them."_

Pivoting sharply, the human-turned-youkai strode ever so calmly with clenched fists out of the restaurant.

Gojyo exhaled slowly, rising from his place, slipping a nervous but equally upset glance to the stunned monk.

_"I'm goin' with him."_

_"Doko?"_ Goku began to stand, but the death glare from Sanzo sat the youth down right away.

The hanyou lifted a hand, ambling toward the exit. _"To find our damsels in distress, of course. Dewa ashita."_

_

* * *

_

"Can we take a break now? Please?" Katie begged, shielding her eyes against an unrelenting sun.

Ashley frowned, turning toward Mandi who clutched the map tightly against sporadic gusts of wind. "It might be a good idea to rest for a few minutes before our legs fall off or Katie suffers from a seizure."

Sighing softly, the brunette girl agreed, nodding once as her gaze studied the open map.

"Yeah, it is a good idea. We shouldn't rest too long though...we don't have any food or water so all the better the sooner we reach town. Not to mention when the sun sets it'll be harder to tell where we're going."

Exhausted, the trio all but collapsed into the sand covered by rough barely pliable grass blades. The grains of golden brown shifted easily enough beneath the girls however, holding them more comfortably than it'd proved to be on their feet.

As they all stretched aching limbs, Katie brought eyes to rest on the western horizon.   
"Do we even know where we're going?"

"I thought you couldn't read maps." Ashley piped up, wiping her forehead with the back of one hand.

Face flushed -from exertion or embarrassment was hard to tell- Mandi cracked a small, sheepish smile.

"We're going West, of course. Haven't we been following the setting sun, after all? Heh, though I do admit, I'm not the best at reading maps. I'm relying mostly on instinct, really."

"What?" Flopping backward, the oldest girl groaned, draping her forearm across her forehead. "You mean we're basically wandering around the middle of nowhere?"

Ducking her head, the almond eyed girl 'mmhmmed' quietly, quickly redeeming herself by holding up the map. "We're wandering around the middle of Shangri'la anyway- but it doesn't mean we're lost! We've been going West and we do have the map..."

"Which you can't read." Ashley pointed out.

"Which none of us can read." Katie amended, sitting back up. "It's all in Chinese...or Japanese...or whatever hell the language is here."

"Chinapanese?" Mandi offered light heartedly and then hopped to her feet. "Do either of you think we're going the wrong way? I mean...do you _feel_ we're truly lost?" She folded the map, holding it protectively against her. "We just don't know the area- it's the same as being in a new state or any other country we haven't visited before. Just because we're not familiar with the place doesn't mean we're lost. So...if you feel another direction is best, someone take the map and say so, please."

Her hand stretched out to both friends, map pointed to them, and her face remained somber.

The young women debated silently, seeking answers to the questions within themselves. They'd been going West, yes, according to where the sun now lay, perilously close to the horizon. That was the direction the Sanzo-ikkou always traveled in. There lay no real trepidations about the path taken so far, only fatigue, thirst, and hunger.

Neither moved for what Mandi held out to them. There was no reason to.

Standing, Katie brushed her pants off and took an advance toward the fiery setting sun. "So then let's stop wasting time and go."

Ash arose, sniggering lightly. "Alright, 'Sanzo'."

A grin broke out over Mandi's lips as she opened the map again, walking quickly to keep up with the other two. When she lowered the map and gazed up, she shivered lightly.

"The sky..."

"What of it?" Craning her neck, the blond girl peeked at the endless domed expanse.

Mandi continued, almost dreamy in tone. "It just looks...gorgeous. Like a true sunset over Paradise...over Shangri'la. There's nothing to block the way, we can see absolutely every inch of it as far as our eyes let us, and every single color. Isn't it pretty?"

"Beautiful." Katie concluded, slightly surprised at the sudden wistfulness of her friend's tone and words. "However, we won't find the next town up there."

Ashley nudged the brunette girl along and she eventually complied, moving of her own accord. Moments passed in silence as three pairs of feet shuffled through sand. They didn't much use the map for anything more than spotting landscapes. It marked none between the camp and the next town, and certainly they weren't seeing anything on land either.

The sherbet hues which painted the skies were beginning to dull, fading into a cloak of early dusk. Not much longer and the way would be consumed by evening granting the moon and millions of stars to replace the sun. The girls wondered if they hadn't taken so many breaks would they have reached town already? It'd been an arduous journey already- several hours had to have passed already for it to be so late. Roughly an hour and a half was spent at the start finding a way out of the forest. It proved to be quite a small one, really, and the help they had within it was evident enough. They knew the path had been correct at least up to the tree line because Hakuryuu's tires left marks in the loam and mud.

Really, the girls hoped the tire tracks would lead them straight to town. However, where the forest quite abruptly ended, an endless grassy-desert plain had begun. The gusty wind bent grass blades smattered with tan from lack of precipitation which had also done well to cover up the tire tracks with sand. So it seemed the young women would have to rely on instinct and the map they entrusted to Mandi- even though none of them could even read it. Their "instinctive sense of direction" was beginning to look...questionable.

How much farther did they have to go? How much longer before they buckled onto the ground, completely spent of energy, unable to move or defend themselves if they needed? Such thoughts were shoved to the back of their minds and no matter what their true feelings were, nobody spoke and just kept walking.

Katie suddenly let out a shrill yelp as her knees hit the ground. That did well to pull anyone out of some reverie as Ash and Mandi spun in surprise with the same inquiry.

"What happened?"

"God...friggen...hell! Stupid rabbit hole...or...something!" The blue-eyed girl grunted, pushing to stand, taking Mandi's hand for the rest of the way.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I guess. Damn grass is too hard..." Katie trailed off, her eyes lowering to stare at some object peeking through the blades.

Ashley frowned. "What are you looking at?"

Mandi followed the older girl's gaze and then dropped down, letting out a stifled squeal. Her forefinger and thumb pinched whatever it was and she lifted it for them to see. "A cigarette butt!" Her energy had apparently been restored. "We're going the right way!"

"Are you sure?" Pulling at her hair some, Katie gazed down at the girl.

She nodded. "Yeah! It has to be Sanzo's or Gojyo's. I mean, how many people do you think traipse through the middle of Shangri'la, in the open like this, heading West, who smoke cigarettes?"

"Hmm...good point. I'd say it's a safe bet we're going the right direction." The youngest nodded, relief flooding through her, even if she did well to hide the fact.

Hope had come back to them; morale was high once more; energy in form of adrenaline pumped through them. The only problem now was...

"It's so dark now." Mandi whispered, clutching the map on one hand, foul cigarette butt in the other. "The sun set all the way, it's too dark to see."

Indeed the sun had apparently chosen that moment of revelation to sink and vanish behind the horizon. A coolness which neglected daylight hours spread ice-like fingers, skittering toward where the girls stood. It even seemed that with the escape of sunlight, the wind had died down as well.

Standing, Mandi sighed audibly. The wind once again swept over the plains, bringing a chill to everyone.

"Should we keep going?"

Katie cleared her throat, gazing out into the inkyness. "We might as well."

"Yeah," Ashley brought a nervous foot forward. Complete darkness was not too comfortable. "We've got nowhere else to stay right now, and nothing as far as shelter goes."

"Aheh...to the West, then." The middle girl feigned a smile to disguise her unease, even though her voice had come out rather meekly.

Quite cautiously, they resumed their path, mindful especially of rabbit holes or other hidden surprises lurking in the shadowed grasses. Night had blanketed everything in absolute silent discord, leaving only the sound of wind whipping around invisable barriers. Knots formed and writhed within three stomachs, only doing more to heighten growing paranoia of what else lay in the unknown.

Just as one opened her mouth to break such a paralyzing quiet, a shrill shriek cried in the distance.

The trio froze instantaneously as deer caught in the headlights, ears 'perked' to the noise.

"What was that?" Katie demanded in a voice just above a whisper.

"No idea..." Ashley admitted, lifting a hand as it came again. "Sounds like it's from up ahead, though."

Nobody felt especially courageous enough to investigate, and thus all soles remained closely planted in place.

Straining her eyes, Mandi tried to pierce shadow, hoping to maybe glimpse at whatever kept making such a terrifying sound. She winced as it came once more, closer this time, and then cringed upon hearing a shout following that oddish squeal. She placed a hand over her frantically beating heart.

"Holy shit what _is_ that? How would you even begin to describe that sound? A squeak?"

"More like a squawk..? Whatever it is, it's gotten closer." The youngest girl informed, now seeking a hiding place. Finding none, she encouraged her friends to crowd closer together.

It was almost a stupid thing to do, to stand and wait like frightened rabbits in a field as their impending doom closed in on them. But there was nowhere to really run, nothing to hide behind except each other, and that alone would defeat the purpose. What more could the girls do? Naturally their minds were implanting their worst case scenario- demons. Lots...and lots...of demons.

Twin orbs of pale light loomed ahead now, the shouting and squawking drawing closer with the pallid yellow color.

"Mandi? Katie?" Ashley whispered hoarsely. "Maybe this isn't the time, but I love you two. If we die-"

"-We're not going to die-" Mandi shook her head, not sounding very convincing. "But I love you two, too!"

Katie took a step back. "Ah-huh...love you guys...goddess, I hope these demons go down easy."

Before anyone else could agree or disagree on whether or not it was indeed youkai approaching, the light came close enough to blind them and they groaned, lifting their arms to shield their aching eyes.

And then, very suddenly, the illumination faded with a soft 'pop'.

Gone in the blink of an eye. Or six.

Bemused, Katie elevated an eyebrow. "We all saw that right?"

"Yep..." Mandi and Ash nodded, both confused.

Soft rustling in the grass caused them to fall silent once more. Something approached quickly.

"Youkai?" the eldest murmured, suggesting it again.

"Youkai with two flashlights that squawk?" The blond skeptisized.

"No...youkai is right...but...the good guys." Mandi confirmed rather confidently, bringing her hands to cup either side of her mouth. "Hakkai-san?"

Katie and Ashley exchanged knowing glances- they all felt fairly foolish now for being so scared. Especially when that squawking noise should have been recognized as Hakuryuu's vocalizations. They too called out the male demon's name.

Another well-known chirp came from above in reply and then quickening footsteps- two pairs, four feet. In a moment, Cho Hakkai and Sha Gojyo stepped into view, the small white dragon circling above them.

An easy smile broke over the green-eyed youth's face, clearly relieved that the girls were unharmed. Gojyo flicked away a cigarette butt- the same kind he had purposely left before, some miles back in hopes that the girls would perhaps find it.

_"So...you're not so distressed after all, huh? Guess you're glad to see us though."_

"Damnit, we still can't understand them!" Katie sighed, frustrated but still glad to see the familiar faces.

Hakkai looked to Hakuryuu, asking him to transform and within a moment another 'pop' sound came, leaving the iron Jeep in the dragon's stead.

Waving a hand, the brunette young man motioned toward the vehicle. _"Get in, dozou. We'll take you back to town with us. Forget what happened before, we're so terribly sorry about that, really. Gomen nasai- I wish I could have done more to convince Sanzo; dozou...forgive us."_

_"Ne, Hakkai, haven't you forgotten that they still can't understand us?"_ Gojyo questioned as to why his friend bothered apologizing so much if it couldn't be comprehended at all.

_"It doesn't matter...Mandi knows some- apologizing...they'll know what I mean, at least."_ Hakkai responded, still smiling warmly as he ushered the girls to the Jeep. The back was open for the three to sit in- a tight squeeze, but it was a short ride to town from here. His heart had been too constricted prior to finding them- he feared for their safety. Now he could breathe easy and as he got behind the wheel, apologized to them once more.

As the girls piled into the backseat, they wondered what had caused Hakkai and Gojyo to backtrack. Obviously they were searching for Katie, Mandi, and Ashley, at least from the way the two guys hurriedly urged them into the Jeep. Whatever their reason, Sanzo probably wasn't too thrilled about the fact, if he knew about it, anyway.

Wordlessly, Hakkai pressed Hakuryuu on, doing a doughnut in the middle of the field until they headed West once again. The Jeep let out an exhuberant squawk, followed by several short chirps. He was quite pleased to have found their friends as well.

_"Sanzo isn't gonna like this, man."_ Gojyo lit another cigarette, glancing to the rearview, catching sight of the young women. They looked above and beyond tired._"He was pretty pissed when we both walked out."_

Not taking his attention from the way ahead, Hakkai chuckled mirthlessly. _"Iie, I can't imagine he was too pleased. I hate to say so, but Sanzo must realize that despite our journey, it doesn't make it right for him to not think of others as well. This was extremely childish of him to do, putting them in danger like he did. It would have bothered me to no end if I hadn't come back for them...I hope you aren't worried about being reprimanded, Gojyo- otherwise, why did you come along?"_

The hanyou turned to see over his shoulder toward the female threesome. They were so quiet...and no wonder. In the short time passed, they'd all fallen asleep. His smirk faded into a more sincere smile as he settled against his seat, now watching smoke billow and wane into nothing.

_"Mou, I'm not worried about that stinky monk...something inside tells me y'know...that maybe these girls are worth all the trouble we'll go through. All the trouble we **have** gone through."_

Another chuckle escaped the driver. _"You may be right, my friend. You think they're worth the trouble even if we can't communicate with them verbally? They don't speak our language after all."_

Gojyo sniffed, rolling crimson eyes to his friend. _"This is why you never underestimate the use of body language, Hakkai." _

_"Ah, I suppose not- it's just a lot more difficult to actually explain anything. Hm...like figuring out where they'll sleep tonight. We did take the last available rooms at the inn, after all. We may have to share them, Gojyo, though I can't imagine you'd complain."_

With an all too devious laugh, Gojyo agreed. _"Nah, I definitely can't see myself complaining about it. They can all share my bed if they wanted to."_

Hakkai took a moment to visualize before sighing exasperatedly. _"I think we'd find you sliced and diced into breakfast sausage in the morning if you attempted that stunt, Gojyo. Perhaps Goku will bunk with someone and they can take his room."_

Knowingly, the red haired man shook his head. _"I don't think so. He'll end up in **my** room, and he snores, damnit. We should each share a room with a girl- that's a better idea. They can have the beds."_

This placed the driver in speechless consideration- he contemplated for nearly half an hour and as they pulled into town, he spoke again.

_"Well then, who goes into which room do you think? I hardly believe Sanzo will allow anyone into his room. In fact, if we can manage it, it's probably best not to let Sanzo know we found them after all."_ Turning, Hakkai proceeded to gently shake each girl awake, casting a sly glance to his hanyou friend. _"And if I guess right, I'm pretty sure I'd know just who you'd prefer in your bed, Gojyo."_

Katie opened her eyes first, rousing easily enough. She never slept so heavily when around other people, always aware of them and every move they made. Her gaze flitted first to Hakkai and then to the inn. So then the town had been relatively close after all. It perhaps only would have taken another hour or so to get there if they walked, however, she decided this method of arrival worked out best.

Gojyo rubbed his chin, watching his friend and the older girl try to shake the other two awake, seemingly to no such avail. Laughing low, he canted his head to one side, brushing aside a wave of crimson tresses. _"No luck eh? Don't ya remember those two sleep like logs?"_

_"Hai-hai..._" Hakkai said laughingly, not giving up just yet. _"However, they need to wake up to get them inside."_

_"Hn, not so."_ Gojyo grinned, leaning over to carefully and deftly sweep Ashley up into his arms. Winking at Hakkai and then to Katie who tried to stifle a laugh at his actions he headed for the inn. _"Problem solved."_

Katie clambered out of the Jeep, tapping Mandi on one shoulder while Hakkai gently shook the other. "Mandi dear, wake up. We're at the inn now." When the other only tried to roll over and curl up, the older girl casted an apologetic gaze to the young man on the other side. "Sorry...er..._gomen nasai_. She's hard to wake up. Maybe we can let her sleep out here."

Staring blankly, catching only the apology, Hakkai chuckled uneasily. How odd to recognize the English language yet not be able to understand a lick of it anymore. _"Hai...no worries. I guess I'll have to follow Gojyo's influence."_ Hesitantly, he situated one arm beneath Mandi's knees and the other around her shoulders, lifting her out of the Jeep. She instinctively curled toward him, draping one arm over his shoulder. Hiding a blush, Hakkai cleared his throat. _"Alright, Hakuryuu, transform now my friend."_

Biting back a grin, Katie started off toward the inn as well, where Gojyo waited inside the foyer for the others to catch up. A 'pop' sounded as the Jeep turned back into a small white dragon and then a squawk loudly pierces the air. A yelp followed Hakuryuu's chirp as Mandi discovered she was no longer in the vehicle but in the arms of some stranger.

When her rump hit the ground, she turned her sleep-blurred gaze upward to find a very apologetic looking Hakkai staring back down at her. Her sudden cry and movement had startled him and he, quite regretfully, dropped her.

Katie had to slap a hand over her mouth to keep from cracking up as the green eyed monocle adorned man appeared to apologize quite enthusiastically.

_"Gomen, gomen, gomen. Are you alright? I didn't mean to do that...good grief, what's wrong with me? Mandi, are you alright?" _ He held a hand out to her, which she reluctantly took, wary that he'd only let go to allow her to fall down once more.

"It's ok..." Mandi tried to laugh it off. That was one way to wake up, she guessed. Her almond colored gaze sidled toward Katie who had managed to stop giggling. "That kind of hurt." She took the first few steps after Hakkai as he made way inside.

"You could always ask Hakkai to kiss it and make it all better." Katie teased, grinning wider.

"Tch, quit that already!" Mandi waved her hands, hurrying to go inside while the door was being held open. Rosy circles had formed on her cheeks once more, visible once the indoor light hit her.

Gojyo adjusted his hold on Ashley slightly, nodding toward the three who had at last come in. _"About time. I'm goin' to bed, Hakkai. I guess I might as well take this one with me. I'll give her the bed." _At seeing Hakkai's skeptical expression, the hanyou winked lazily. _"Don't worry, I'll sleep in the chair or something. Oyasumi."_

_"Hnn...oyasumi." _ Hakkai muttered in response, turning back to the other two remaining girls. His smile slipped easily back into place. _"I suppose it's up to the two of you who sleeps in my room and who goes to Goku's. I don't think waking Sanzo right now would be such a good idea. Oh...what am I doing? You have no clue what I'm saying. Follow me."_ He waved a hand, turning to meander down the hallway and stopped in front of the golden eyed youth's door, waiting until the girls had stopped as well before knocking lightly. _"Ne, Goku, are you awake?"_

A light switched on from inside, casting a glow under the door and Goku groggily made way to open up. He lifted his head, spotting Hakkai and the two young women, immediately questioning where the third one had gone.

_"Gojyo has her. See, the inn is out of rooms and we're going to have to share. Mind if one takes your bed for the night?"_ The brunette young man broadened his smile in hopes to convince his shorter comrade. _"I'll buy you meatbuns in the morning." _

_"Ok!" _Goku cried a bit too enthusiastically, covering his mouth, eyes wide as he darted them toward Sanzo's door. Lowering his voice, he tried again. _"Ok...that's fine. How many meatbuns to be exact..?"_

Hakkai sighed, shaking his head. _"Why don't we figure that out tomorrow, my friend? I'm a little tired as of right now- too much driving will do that to a person. So who would you have stay with you, it doesn't matter too much to me."_

While the heretic tried to take his pick, the young women leaned against the wall, patiently waiting. They both assumed they'd share a room with one of the guys- counting Sanzo out, of course. He'd probably not live through the night, otherwise.

At last, Goku shrugged and gestured toward Katie. _"She can stay. Besides, you're probably relieved about that anyway. Oyasumi, Hakkai-kun."_ With a knowing grin, he shuffled back into the room, Katie following after, closing the door behind them both.

The chestnut haired youth flashed a bright smile her way, sitting himself down in the somewhat lumpy armchair. _"You can have the bed ok? It's kinda bumpy, but it's comfy enough. Oh...uh...yeah, you can't understand me, I forgot." _He tapped his chin and then tried speaking slower._ "You...can...sleep...on...the...bed." _ He pointed with one hand at the bed, and then to Katie, nodding.

Catching the drift, the young woman stepped toward the bed. Wow did that look nice right now or what? Especially after who knows how many hours of walking through sandy ground under a sweltering sun. She glances to him questioningly only to see him gesture for it once more, urging her to go on and take it. Shrugging lightly, Katie sat down on the edge of the bed. It was kind of lumpy, as Goku had said- however, she didn't know that. Slipping off her shoes, the brunette young woman reclined in the bed, her eyes closing and her body surrendering to sweet, sweet slumber.

Satisfied that the girl had fallen asleep, Goku tucked his knees up beneath his chin, being the limber boy he was, and cuddled the cushion of his chair. It wasn't too bad, having to sleep in the arm chair. He'd slept on less comfortable places and still came out smelling like a rose. Anyhow, if it earned him a bag of meatbuns in the coming day and a full stomach, then wasn't it worth it? Concluding that it was an even trade, the monkey-like youth fell into a deep, meat-bun laden dreamy sleep.

* * *

Once Goku and Katie had disappeared into the room, Hakkai turned toward the darker haired girl remaining in the hall. _"Aheh...I suppose that just leaves us then doesn't it? Hai...this way then." _ Taking the two steps over for his room, the emerald eyed young man pushes open the door, allowing Mandi to pass through first before he steps inside. _"I'll take a chair if you want the bed. It's up to you really." _

When she turned to cast him a puzzled look, Hakkai frowned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. _"Ah, alright, we'll have to do this a different way. Here...you..."_ He gestured first to Mandi and then to the bed, bringing both of his palms together next to rest at the side of one ear. _"You can sleep on the bed. I'll take the chair." _Stepping backward toward the armchair, Hakkai sat promptly in it, smiling; motioning toward the bed once more. _"Go on and sleep well, alright?" _

"Um...are you sure?" She hesitantly lowered herself onto the bed, taking off her Mary Janes, groaning at the soreness of her feet. _'Note to self- the next time I go realm hopping, make sure I'm wearing gym shoes.'_ Spotting an open door across the room, Mandi realized it to be the bathroom and her eyes widen as she stood up straight. "Shower...yes...a shower would be great."

Standing from the chair, Hakkai lifted a hand, wondering just where the young woman was heading off to. However, he made no means to say anything when she vanished into the bathroom. Laughing lightly, he sank back down into the armchair, settling back against it. _"When you've got to go, you've got to go, I guess."_

Within a few moments the sound of the shower being turned on and water rushing down, spattering against the tub and tiles met the young man's ears. His eyes opened immediately, taking a sidelong glance toward the shut door. A shower- yes, he could see why she'd want one. All that walking probably did a number on her feet, what with the kind of shoes she'd been wearing. Yes, a perfectly legit reason. But did she have to do that in _his_ bathroom? Shaking his head, Hakkai leaned back again, closing his eyes. He'd just go to sleep. There was no use in worrying over someone taking a shower. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to force himself to sleep, however useless that was.

After a half an hour had passed, he realized that the water was no longer running. It hadn't been for about ten minutes, though Mandi had yet to emerge. Hakkai began to wonder if she'd fallen asleep inside the bathroom, though he didn't want to risk going to check to find out he was wrong. How embarrassing that'd be. Folding his hands across his stomach, the youth rested his head on the side of the chair, keeping his eyes closed. No, he could still hear her moving about, so she must be just fine. He should just sleep. He'd need energy for trying to argue with Sanzo again in the morning.

Moments later, the door opened with a faint squeak and Mandi poked her head out to check where Hakkai was. She spotted him in the chair where he'd been before, eyes shut, breathing evenly. _'Good, he's asleep. This'd be mortifying if he wasn't...but what can I do? My clothes were way too dirty, and they need time to dry now. I've got nothing else.'_

Slinking past the chair, the brunette girl tightened her hold on the thick towel wrapped about her figure. Even if he did see this much, it wasn't as though he hadn't already, just a few days ago at ACEN in the hotel room. That'd been fairly awkward as well, but at least then she was surrounded by three other girls in the same situation.

She paused as a floorboard groaned beneath her bare foot and then continued a bit more rushed for the bed. She didn't notice that Hakkai had opened his eyes just enough to investigate. She didn't notice that he had gasped, catching himself before giving away that he'd noticed her slipping under the heavy covers of the bed wearing nothing but that white towel.

Hakkai held as still as possible, willing himself to shut his eyes, though somehow couldn't bring himself to do it. Where'd her clothes gone? Had she washed them? Perhaps that's what she'd been doing in there after the water was shut off. It made sense- it'd explain why she decided to sleep in a towel, anyhow. Or...sans the towel. He slammed his eyes shut again after seeing one silohuetted arm escape the blankets to drop the cloth onto the floor, hearing her nestle farther beneath the blankets.

Come morning, he'd have to be sure not to be in the room when Mandi awoke and save her another bout of blushing cheeks and shame for sleeping in the nude in the same room as a man. Coughing quietly, Hakkai turned and buried his warming face into the chair, at last forcing sleep to grace him.

* * *

In the third room which Sha Gojyo had cared to occupy, the hanyou couldn't bring himself to sleep just yet. He'd placed Ashley down in his bed, slipped her shoes off though not without thought of wanting to slip off some other items as well, and covered her with the blankets. It was simply amazing how heavily the girl slept through all of that. He'd have offered her use of the shower before bed if he could have woken her up, but he guessed this saved them both the trouble of trying to understand each other when they were both also very tired.

Not to mention the blond girl probably would have thought Gojyo was trying an inference to something sexual concerning the shower. He didn't feel like getting shouted at or smacked across the face- Sanzo probably might have heard and wondered what the ruckus was about. He didn't feel like a fan beating from the monk either.

Stopping to lean against the wall, the crimson haired young man pushes the sole window open, allowing a bit of crisp night air to enter and freshen the room. Gojyo could do for another cigarette, though his mind had wandered elsewhere as his gaze settled amongst the stars. He'd never been one to really watch the sky, but on nights when it was incredibly clear, the stars shone brilliantly and never ceased to amaze him how countless they were. It was a softer, less "macho" side of him that he rarely cared to show to anyone. He was safe in this case. His only witness was sleeping like the dead.

Resting a palm on the window sill, Gojyo tore away from the sky, bringing his attention to the slumbering girl. The last time he had a girl in his bed, one who hadn't tried to kill him before or afterward...well, that'd been quite a while ago. A few months. He cringed at that. How the hell had he gone that long without one? And here, having one in his bed, had only brought the smallest of male urges.

He was definitely attracted to her, there lay no doubt there, although something stopped him from flat out asking to bed her down. Ashley was an obstacle all on her own, a puzzle to figure out- as was every woman- but she resisted more than the others. Resisted in a good way. She played hard to get, and for whatever reason, it only encouraged Gojyo more to pursue. Usually the thrill of the chase wore him out after about an hour- it shouldn't have to be so difficult to get a good woman in bed. This chase had lasted far longer than an hour. Two weeks, or a month, all depending on what time zone one wanted to go by.

Why hadn't he given up and accepted her as just a friend? It baffled him, and it scared him. He liked her, he'd gotten to know her, he'd befriended her, and now...Now he cared about her.

_"Kuso...baka."_ Gojyo whispered, turning back for the window, staring outside. Stupid indeed. At least the girls came to Shangri'la like they wanted to, but they had a destiny both alike and unlike that of the Sanzo party. To continue his chase of Ashley...would it be wise or not?

Giving up, the young man relented into the armchair's comfort across from the bed, taking the thinner of the blankets from it to cover up with. Whatever happened would happen- there was no use in contemplating a future that had yet to come.

* * *

Sanzo hadn't fallen asleep when he meant to. He'd meant to have drifted off an hour or so ago, yet it eluded him as so many aspects of life did and he lay awake, eyes trained on the ceiling. How many tiles had he counted already? And recounted? And lost count on top of that, _both_ times.

He'd been on the verge of falling asleep when footsteps pattered through the hallway outside of his door. The monk listened carefully, assessing. One pair...two...and then three. Hakkai's voice had infiltrated the room even though the door was shut, even though he'd been whispering. Goku's excited shout had let the cat out of the bag. Sanzo wasn't stupid. His two AWOL companions had found their precious 'treasure' in the end.

He was certainly not pleased, but being too tired to bother complaining about it, had chosen to just stay in bed. The girls were probably sharing rooms with each of the other members of his group. Thankfully nobody had disturbed him to do so- Sanzo pictured himself grunting and slamming the door in their faces. He still was miffed about his falling out with Hakkai at the restaurant earlier that evening, even though he knew damn well that Hakkai had been right.

The monk acted like a two-year old. He wanted everything his way, and then, as a rebellious teenager, outright refused to accept that those young women were the elemental avatars.

Even though he'd witnessed Erin's absorption into the Fire Soul Sphere.

Even though he'd heard Kanzeon say the Elementals were the girls the whole time.

Why wasn't it good enough for him? Why did Sanzo so wish to defy it all and just accomplish this mission on his own?

He didn't_ need _excess baggage. He didn't _want_ someone else getting in the way.

He didn't _want_...to have to worry about someone else's safety.

Those girls hardly seemed like magical goddesses of ancient times. They ranked fairly average in his book, so what on Geikai was so special about them that they were the hosts?

Maybe Sanzo's refusal to believe in the gods of Tenkai had something to do with it. He didn't want to entrust his life in the hands of those who were so used to making others do their bidding. He didn't want to entrust his life in the hands of those...who had taken away what was most important to him.

They'd only do it again.

It was why Genjyo Sanzo avoided attachment to anyone at all costs. To become attached only meant getting hurt once again in the end. His heart couldn't take it- thus he developed that frigid exterior and pushed people away; even those he traveled with, the ones who called themselves his friends.

What did he need friends for anyway? Wasn't life much better led living along? Alone...he couldn't be hurt or hurt anyone else. That was the ideal for him. That was how he preferred to live. Alone, harmless, cold, and miserably detached.

As his violet eyes at last fluttered shut, a final and disturbing thought skipped through Sanzo's mind: But hadn't he already gotten attached despite himself?


	3. Ignition

**Chapter Three**

**Ignition**

**Houtou Castle**

Erin's eyes struggled to open as a hand grasped her shoulder and a voice soothingly urged her to please wake up. She didn't want to. It was far too early to be moving, let alone waking up and jumping out of bed. Yet, the unknown assaultant persisted, giving the young woman no choice but to comply.

_"Mou...I'm up, I'm up. What do you want?"_ She lifted her head from a fluffy down pillow, slender arms raising above her head to stretch, taking no notice that the words which had left her lips were not in her native English.

A curious pair of tangerine eyes stared from above while a faint smile wrought the delicate lips of a pretty youkai woman's face. Yaone stepped back from Erin's bed, clasping her gloved hands as she waited for the other to sit up on the mattress.

_"Kougaiji-sama requests your presence, Erin-san. I'm sorry to have awoken you, demo...he is waiting."_

Expelling a sigh, Erin stood, bare feet cooled by the touch of a smooth hardwood floor. Her blue eyes met Yaone's own orange hued gaze and the young woman pondered a moment just what her actual purpose in Shangri'la was. All she could recall last was being in the hallway at ACEN's Soap Bubble Rave. Something had clearly happened- something that had blocked itself from memory the moment that it took place. Why she stared down the pretty youkai woman in front of her, however, Erin didn't know. Maybe she hoped to discover some explanation within that wide-eyed stare, devoid of negativity, appearing completely innocent.

The first day that the small woman found herself within Houtou's confines proved quite a shocking experience. Her entire body ached with such intensity, she thought she'd been hit by a Mack truck- she might have stuck by that if not for the fact she knew she'd been in a hotel before being transported. Inside, a fire had burned, spreading to every nerve ending, every limb, bumrushing her veins unlike anything she'd ever felt before. That sensation perhaps would have sent anyone else reeling in bouts of terrorizing pain, but to Erin...it had ignited her soul, her heart, and her mind. It came as euphoria refreshing her entire body, awakening it again...a rebirth of sorts.

By the time the third day had rolled around, Erin had noticed quite a few changes. Upon looking in the mirror, her azure eyes seemed to take on a fierce flame-like tint. Looking straight on into her reflection, they appeared normal, but once the light caught her form a certain way, tiny flames appeared to dance within the irises. She felt stronger, in general- she'd been a smoker for quite some time, and so it had begun to have an effect on her, but after the instance she could breathe clearly. Her lungs worked with renewed vigor, as though all those years of pre-teen cigarette smoke inhalation had simply vanished. In being such a slightly built person, she'd never had too much by way of physical strength either, although had recently found herself able to break an end table's surface with one slam of her fist. This'd been discovered solely by mistake when she'd grown frustrated at the fact she was locked up in one room of the castle without any means of escape...when she realized where she was and not where she should have been.

Whoever had taken care of her until the fifth day's arrival had done well in keeping his or her identity a secret. The only reason Erin had any clue of where she was kept captive had rested on the components of the room. Stone walls covered by Asian-esque tapestries, furniture fashioned out of stained bamboo, lush blankets marked by a taste of India, and of course the scenery outside may have had something to do with it. Putting those traits together with the fact that she'd only recently hung out with her three friends along with the real-life Sanzo-ikkou basically had given Erin a general idea of her new locale. It struck her as confusing that she'd be taken to Houtou- why there of all places? Who had brought her held more importance.

Dr. Nii? That thought had brought a shiver along the young woman's spine. What a creepy doctor- if he'd taken care of her, she vowed to jump out of the nearest window, no matter how high up in the castle it was. She'd take her chances with the local berserked youkai rather than deal with that pervert.

Maybe Dr. Huang did it? That didn't quite make sense, however- the female scientest rarely seemed to have any agenda of her own in any episode of Saiyuki Erin could recall. She complained about Nii and then went along with the man's twisted genius plan, which more times than any, failed to succeed.

Then who was left? Erin had wracked her mind for four full days whilst pacing about the confines of that room. At least they had indoor plumbing in that realm- she might have created the next River Jordan otherwise. The fact did little to comfort her-she wanted to know why Houtou- and who? Who brought her? Who tore her away from the only world she'd ever known, from her friends and family, and why?

The information retained about the Elemental Avatars had not escaped her mind. Erin could clearly recall the explanation given about the Sanzo party's efforts to pinpoint the whereabouts of three elemental hosts. The girls had argued blatantly as well as dropped hints that _they_ had to be the ones. At that time, maybe it'd been a passing fancy- wishful thinking that those girls were granted a more appealing fate than first perceived.

Erin had somehow been excluded from that fate. An elemental _trio_ had been required, not a quartet, for whatever reason- though, her friends had their hearts set on her inclusion. That would have made more sense. Nature had four main components, counting out the magical element of Spirit, and so why wasn't it the case here? Even Hakkai, Gojyo, and Goku thought the young woman was one of the reincarnated goddesses, much to Sanzo's disbelief and blatant refusal to accept it. Then again, the monk hadn't wanted to believe that any of those girls were what he was sent to find. He'd been so completely set by his opinion that they were somewhere else, that they hadn't been found yet, or that the Merciful Goddess merely toyed with him for her own entertainment. Even after watching the new Saiyuki DVD, one they had deemed 'magical', the proof seemed undeniable; still Sanzo scoffed with some haughty remark or another.

As though that'd done anything to shoot down hope. If the Elementals were anyone but those four girls, why hadn't the Sanzo party found them? The initial three needed were Air, Earth, and Water- Fire had conveniently lost her place in a much unexplained manner. On the disc they'd watched it became painfully obvious which girl corresponded to what element. It hadn't done much to exclude Erin, in fact, it embraced her as much as it did the other three young women. So why...why was she left out? Had something happened before that brought upon the outcasting of her Element? She wish she knew, wish she had a way of remembering, and in such a way could suddenly relate to Son Goku when he questioned his five-hundred year imprisonment.

What had they done to deserve it?

The way her appearance had changed reminded Erin of smoldering embers in a campfire. Hints of a bigger fire laced through her entire being, along with an annoying 'more than an inkling' idea of who she'd become. In five days it'd turned into basic knowledge- Erin had no doubt of her reborn, reformed self. The question still remained: Why?

Yaone elevated thin brows, perplexed as to why the other woman hadn't moved yet. _"Erin-san?"_

Blinking away the past few days, returning to the seventh one, she responded. _"Gomen. Let me change first, ok?"_

_"Of course. I'll wait outside the door for you."_ The youkai pharmacist departed, relieved that the woman hadn't turned into a statue with a staring problem in those past few minutes.

Erin glanced to the bed where a 'more appropriate' outfit had been laid out. Her own clothes from ACEN somehow managed to disappear by her second morning spent in India. Someone had taken the liberty to change her clothing because when she'd awoken that second morning, her dress was gone and silky bedclothes fitted her form. This gave her all the more reason to hope Nii hadn't been the one responsible for her. A simple crimson and gold hemmed gown remained as her only means for clothing. It was the same every day, but the clothes were clean every morning and pressed, void of wrinkles, hanging up or laid out fresh for her to wear. They looked more like elaborate robes than an actual dress, something akin to the pale seafoam green garment Lady Koushu wore. Whether or not it was the selected style of the era, Erin couldn't say she particularly liked it. She wore it anyhow- roaming the place naked wasn't on her list of good ideas- especially not with a creepy scientest pervert lurking about.

When she finished changing, Erin slipped out into the corridor for the first time. Her lips curved up. What a strange sensation, to feel scared out of her wits but mesmerized at once by her new location. Who would have ever guessed some average punk-goth anime fan girl would ever have a chance to partake in such an endeavor? She pinched her right arm as hard as she could upon that thought.

_"Tch...itai."_

Yaone stared at the human young woman peculiarly. _"What did you do that for?"_

Giggling, Erin replied. _"To make sure I'm not dreaming this all out. It's really weird, what's going on here."_

Offering a smile, the apothecary turned to lead the way toward Kougaiji's quarters. _"I'm inclined to agree. Going to take you from another world proved to be a strange experience. I do hope it's all worthwhile in the end."_

Unsure of how to interpret Yaone's words, Erin remained silent. Being an entire week since her arrival, she'd only recently discovered it was Kougaiji's doing which brought her to Tenjiku. She didn't complain afterward- Ririn or Yaone, sometimes both, would visit a couple of times per day bringing food or offering company for a short while. This had cleared up who had so often came to check up on Erin whilst she remained unaware of their presence, allowing her to breathe in relief that it wasn't Nii.

Now she'd get to meet the brains behind the operation. Perhaps she'd learn why he brought her there- even if Kou didn't intend on telling freely, Erin vowed she'd find out. While she had every right to hold a grudge for being taken without warning, without time to say good bye to anyone, she really had no animosity. She had no inclination to let her time spent at Houtou, or in Tenjiku, or anywhere else she may go in that world, go for granted. Who knew if she'd return home or not? Besides, her general knowledge of the Kougaiji-tachi did much to reassure her that this wasn't a position of immenent danger. His group had sort of acquired the title of the non-villainous-villains. Erin wasn't too worried.

Yaone turned left as one corridor smoothly transgressed into another. She'd mainly overseen the human girls' needs for the past week, doing so mostly in secret. Whenever Erin slept or went in the other room to bathe, the female youkai popped into the room with washed clothes and a tray of food. Only recently did her presence become a known one, thanks to a boisterous Ririn who insisted on coming along.

No harm done, however. Despite the woman's unconventional appearance -Was that color of hair truly acceptable in the other world? And that style of dress? How queer...- Yaone found Erin to be pleasant enough company. In certain ways, during some conversations, she acted quite like a femme version of Dokugakuji. Indeed, the youkai man may have found the Fire Soul's accompaniment amusing because of that.

Why Kougaiji insisted on waiting an entire week before meeting Erin himself, Yaone didn't know for sure. At least, she didn't know his full motives for doing so. He had her take up role as caretaker because he felt it'd be awkward for him to do it, as well as inappropriate since he was the opposite sex. For that very reason, Kou objected to Dokugakuji playing that role and Ririn would have become bored enough, she was bound to screw something up. That left Yaone- a perfect candidate with perfect capability.

When Erin discovered her secret caretaker, Yaone relayed the fact to Kou who then had his apothecary make simple conversation: Find out about the girl, report back with her replies and any notations of physical alterations. She did as told, and apparently the information proved enough for Kou to have Erin brought to him.

_"In here, Erin-san."_

Erin brought her wandering gaze from that of the plain stone halls to a heavy door held open by Yaone. Wordlessly, as excitement and anxiety stole away her voice, the young woman strode past the youkai, on into a spacious room. She stood absolutely still upon entering, breathing hitched in her throat. Wherever Kougaiji hid away, she couldn't tell, but the room was magnificent enough without his presence. More tapestries hung from the walls, a single persian carpet draped a stained hardwood floor where pillars of finely crafted marble stretched to an impossibly high ceiling. A few doors were built spaced from the others, frames draped by magenta and gold velvet, and a procession of wide clear paned windows strung across the East wall, facing the rising sun. Other than a couple of tables and chairs placed strategically before a hearth, the chambers appeared devoid of much furniture. Nonetheless, it was a true portrait of a Prince's lair.

_"Yaone-san, arigatou gozaimasu. You may go for now."_

A male voice spoke from some shadowed corner, startling Erin as well as the pharmacist. Neither woman had even realized the room was occupied after all and the voice's tenor wrought Erin's form with shivers. Yaone murmured an incohensive reply, reluctantly leaving the pair alone in the room.

Despite the sun spreading rays against the windows, Erin couldn't help but notice how void of actual light and warmth the chambers were- there was no fire lit in the hearth, however, so she suspected that had something to do with it. The lack of sunlight cast a rather formal, impersonal air about the room- once again, truly fit for a Prince. Thinking of royalty, she began to wonder just where Kou's voice had come from- that was until he stepped away from a far window, moving as a ghostly silohuette until he stood in front of her.

A soft gasp left her- Kougaiji's deep purple gaze locked unflinchingly with Erin's own unwaning stare. He definitely looked more impressive in flesh than on television: his face was constructed of aptly placed angles, every contour lay well defined and taut with tanned skin, his ears were more delicately shaped and pointed than the exaggerated elongation in the anime, and his muscle definition proved far more detailed even beneath his clothing. The anime did him very little justice when it came to depicting his appearance, so finely built as it was.

_"We finally meet, my Fire Soul." _ Kougaiji stood ground, his voice playing an amazing purring tenor.

Erin avoided gawking at him any longer, or sniggering at the youkai prince's words. It began to feel something like a plotless hentai flick. Fire Soul? The Fire Elemental? As in a confirmation of what she'd been thinking and believing all along, as to why she was there, and why she changed in appearance? Her excitement was hardly containable.

_"Hai, I guess we do."_ Wow...what a lame answer.

Kou chuckled, studying the girl, proceeding to circle her figure, scrutinizing every fiber of her being. She didn't appear to be much taller than Ririn, nor much sturdier than his youkai half sister at that. That hardly meant anything, though, as Ririn could pack a punch that would send twenty demons crying home to mommy. At the hotel in the other world, Kougaiji hadn't paid so much attention to how the young woman before him looked. He saw her face, saw the orb, and then did his deed by stealing her away back to India.

_"I bet you're wondering why you're here."_ the youkai prince continued as Erin nodded her head once. _"Apparently, according to one of our resident scientists, you're a reincarnated host for an ancient Elemental Spirit."_

_"Fire. Hai, I figured out that much by now."_ Erin held up a hand, motioning broadly to her own changed appearance. _"It was kinda hard not to notice that I don't look the same anymore. Let me fill **you** in on a few things and then maybe you can answer my questions."_

Kougaiji didn't reply, too stunned at the interruption and assuming tone lacing the young woman's voice. When it became clear that he would not hinder her from continuing, the young woman resumed speaking.

_"I know all about the Sanzo-ikkou and their journey west; I know about the experiments to revive Gyumaoh and all that good stuff. This is a different world than where I came from, where you took me from, but my friends and I have our sources for knowing just about everything about Shangri'la and what's been goin' on here." _A dry laugh mingled with irony left her lips. _"I probably know more than you think I do, just don't ask me to explain. From what I heard by my friends, that's kinda a hard thing to do without props to show it. Anyway...Just tell me what ya need me for and I'll help."_

Baffled, Kougaiji merely gazed upon the young elemental for a good few minutes. She'd help without knowing his cause? And how did she know all of that? She said not to ask- he wouldn't question it, he guessed, but still, he wore suspicion on his sleeve.

_"Why would you do that? If you say you know about us then why would you help so readily?"_

Erin folded her arms across her chest, gazing at the youkai man unflinchingly. She had a feeling he'd question her reasons. Taking a moment to carefully piece the next explanation together, Erin shifted her weight to her left foot.

_"Like I said before, I know a lot about you. You're the leader of your group- the son of Gyumaoh the Bull Demon; it's pretty famous where I'm from y'know. Anyway, I know you're not a bad guy. You're doin' all this shit for that bitch Koushu because she keeps promising to free your mother if ya do. Let me tell ya this, Kougaiji: she ain't gonna do it. Everything that woman says is all bullshit, don't believe her."_

At the mention of his mother, Kougaiji advanced, snatching up Erin's wrists in both long clawed hands. His eyebrows narrowed considerably, taking a gullwing appearance. _"You know about my mother? You know..? What has Koushu been doing then, behind my back?"_

Unfazed by his actions- his vice like grip hardly hurt, really- the young woman shrugged her shoulders._ "I don't know exactly what she's been doing, demo...it's been pretty clear to my friends and I that she's up to no good. She's been plotting against Ririn for the longest damn time, too. I know ya don't trust the bitch but it's not like you're actually doin' anything to stop her. What're you so afraid of?"_

What was he so afraid of? He was afraid of everyone he cared for getting hurt. He feared never freeing his mother from her imprisonment because he would have run the scientists out along with Gyokomen Koushu. Kou couldn't stand the three doctors, why would he keep them around? But now...

...now he had his golden key; the goddess with a power so immense that he could afford to take these risks. '_All for you, mother. I will free you. I promise.'_

Slowly releasing her wrists, Kougaiji turned his back and strode toward the hearth with a brisk gesture for Erin to join him. _"If you're so up to date on what's been going on here, you should very well know what I was so afraid of."_ Relief surges through him as the goddess falls in step with him. Casting deep amethyst orbs toward the hearth, he goes on. _"Can you light the firewood?"_

_"...I don't know if I can. I haven't tried anything."_ Erin stepped forward, grinning as she glanced over her shoulder at Kou. _"Got a match?"_

Hardly cracking a smile, the youkai prince crossed his arms in a style evocative of Genjyo Sanzo, however, he refrained from the scowl usually accompanying the gesture. _"Iie, I don't. Please, get on with at least trying. We might as well start somewhere."_

_"Alright, alright. I'll try."_ Erin turned forward, blue eyes flashing with hints of yellow-orange at the pupils, focusing. _'Light. Burn. Make the wood burn. Spark. Catch a flame, flare up, burn. **Burn**. **Burn!'**_

At her final unspoken request a crackle emitted from the firewood and a flare of orange-red amber shot up, catching the rest of the wood. Satisfied and in awe of her own deed, the young woman turned once more to face Kougaiji. He smirked and nodded his approval.

_"Good. Now...let's talk."_

**Tenkai: Lotus Garden**

"Merciful Goddess, this is just terrible! I don't see how you're allowing this to happen!"

Jiroushin paced frantically in front of Kanzeon's throne ready to start tearing out his hair. It was his last resort to complete insanity over what was going on in the lower world.

In her usual calm demeanor the bodhisattsva rested her cheek upon a hand of furled painted fingers, indigo eyes trained upon a stretch of water littered with lotus blossoms. A smile stretched her red painted lips at an amusing thought dancing through her mind.

"You really do worry excessively. I wonder, Jiroushin, has your hair always been such a lovely shade of silvery gray?"

Baffled, the subsidiary god halted, pivoting sharply on his sandal-clad heels to stare at her. "_Nani_? What are you getting at?" His hands moved to rest in fists on his robed hips.

She shrugged nonchalantly though her expression still read of mild humor. "They do say that stress is one cause of gray hair. I only wondered if that's how you got yours. It's been so long, I honestly can't begin to remember if it'd always been the same color."

"Merciful Goddess!" Jiroushin cried, throwing his hands up into the air in disbelief. "This is not a time to poke fun at me! Shouldn't you be worrying about the situation down _there?_"

Still in a provocative mood, Kanzeon's smirk deepened, allowing for her gaze to briefly graze his figure and rested a moment on the area below his waistline. "I don't know. Is there something happening down there that I should be concerned with? I didn't think you to be the sort to really put yourself into situations where you could possibly have to worry about such things, Jiroushin."

As her eyes returned to her lotus pool the silver haired god let out an exhasperated groan, clearly displeased by his eternal companion's indifference, and no more contented by her additional teasing.

"That is _not_ what I meant, and you know it! _Demo_, if you really must have it cleared up for whatever reason, I was speaking of the situation on Geikai. Aren't you worried?"

The hermaphroditic goddess stood, stretching her modestly angular figure before cocking a hip and bracing a hand against it.

"Worried? Maybe only slightly, though that probably comes needlessly. So the Fire Soul, Huo Kumiko, has been awakened within her newly reincarnated host despite our efforts to keep her well-hidden. These things just don't happen without a reason, you know."

"Without a reason? Merciful Goddess, you must be joking." The willowy god stepped beside her, observing the lower world through placid waters. "Aren't the heavens responsible for this? Isn't Tenkai where the cords of Fate are kept and entwined and then cut?"

Lifting gemlike eyes skyward to rest upon an ever-golden sun, the goddess swept her free hand through raven locks, lifting a shoulder in minor disagreement. "Not neccessarily." Her voice softened to an octave above a whisper and below a normal pitch in stolidity. "The way I see it, as I've told you before, we are nothing but observers. We are the audience and they are our production. The situations are laid out with several paths to choose- there is never only _one_ choice, Jiroushin. Nobody should ever feel forced into doing something they do not wish to do. Humans and youkai are gifted with a voice of reason, you know, but not all of them choose to listen to it." A quiet laugh mirthlessly leaves her mouth. "What Fates we decide are thrown to the wind the moment those mortals decide to heed or ignore those voices. Nothing is predestined. Nothing is set in stone. Haven't you figured out by now that it is not they who are the pawns but us?"

She turned and took to a smooth gait for an evenly paved path as her counterpart mulled over her lesson. By the time Kanzeon had reached the middle of the packed down walkway, Jiroushin turned and asked where she planned on going off to.

"I'm going for a walk. Is there a problem with this too?"

Whether or not a problem existed she'd have taken the walk anyhow, but the male god decided it was worth a try to hinder her.

"A walk? Negai- stay here. The moment you walk away something is going to happen."

"It's been a week since they've returned. Nothing has happened yet and once again you're allowing paranoia to overwhelm you. Honestly, you're going to give yourself a heart attack." She waved a hand. "So yes, I am going to take a walk."

The silver haired god flailed his arms once as another point cleverly snuck into his memory. "Will you return for the Jade Emperor's Summit?"

Pausing, Kanzeon's expression drooped to one of complete boredom. "Was that tonight? Tell him I have cramps, won't you?"

Jiroushin gawked, his arms wheeling about once more. "_Again!_ That's the excuse you used for missing his birthday party!"

"I'm irregular, so sue me." She refrained from laughing again.

"_Demo..."_

"_Demo nani mo! _I'm not going. Oh. A bit of a side note for you, unrelated to the previous topic, Jiroushin: don't flap your arms that way. You looked like an overgrown chicken."

She resumed strolling, leaving the other still with his mouth agape watching her retreat.

Ah well. It truly was no big deal, that Summit. She found it ridiculous really that it even still occurred annually. Every year it remained unchanging with the gathering of dull gods whom nobody cared about and saw every monotonous day and they bickered about the same issues time and time again. Not to mention she didn't much feel up to par in playing twenty _thousand_ questions in matters regarding Geikai.

If they were truly interested, why didn't those lame-brains take the time from their days of doing 'important' business for affairs which didn't even exist to take a gander?

Whatever happened, happened, and couldn't be changed. Apparently such simple ideas never struck such "great" minds. They were all idiots...

"Que sera, sera, eh Nataku?" Kanzeon murmured in good humor, finding her feet had led her to station beside the comatose child-god's seat.

He didn't move, nor did he speak, and his large golden eyes stared unblinkingly into a distance nobody could fathom.

"No response today either, hm?"

Nataku did not even flinch as the goddess affectionately brushed her long fingers over his forehead, grazing the diamond shaped chakra set there. His eyes were dead. His face held absolutely no expression, no sign of life other than a quietly beating heart and shallow even breathing hinted at the energetic child he once was.

He hadn't moved in five hundred years.

He hadn't moved or spoken or blinked since the day he sealed himself up in his own mental prison.

"You're not dead though, are you Nataku?" Kanzeon whispered wryly, taking her hand from caressing his silvery violet locks. She could only imagine what thoughts of aggrivation had flew through his mind at the contact. If he still thought. "You're wise to the game now. You're merely an observer just like I am. Isn't that all we were meant to be, after all?"

No reply, of course.

Not a nod.

Not a smirk.

Not a blink or a lift of a finger to acknowledge the comment.

Nataku listened but heard only when he chose to. Fortunately this moment had been worthy of his time spent in his personal Hell.

"I wonder what you'd say now if you learned of what is becoming of the world. Can you see what's going on or are you ignoring it as everyone else does? Ignoring it until the very last second, when disaster strikes and you're forced to run amok like chickens with their heads cut off..? Do you know who your title has been passed to?" Kanzeon crouched down fluidly beside his custom throne, whispering near his right ear. "They stripped you of your title- I do suppose you're glad of this news. Isn't that what you would have wanted? So why don't you wake up now?"

He hardly cared to respond though thought about flinching an eyelash. He didn't, but his mind's wheels churned, gears cranking in rusted neglect. _'Because I know what will happen if I do wake up. I'm not stupid, y'know.'_

The boddhisatsva canted her head to one side, making to follow his wide non-receptive gaze to a place of non-existance. "Nothing still, am I right? The crown of such terrible burdens would rest upon your head and a cross containing the weight of the world would lean in reliance upon your shoulders the moment you awakened...and Homura would not be a happy camper."

Nataku sighed inwardly. Homura? The half-breed being of mortal human and god descendance? That couldn't possibly end well. There was far too much angst value written into that story. Why would the Jade Emperor do something so...stupid?

Kanzeon dared to guess what thoughts Nataku had and generally nailed it right on the head. "He is the Jade Emperor's nephew, you know. Homura's mother is a goddess, his father is the human...though I don't imagine either are alive anymore. It has been...a long time. Do you remember Homura, Nataku? I don't recall if you've ever met him, though...you do know one of his allies."

An ally? Who?

"You know him well, dear." Her voice held a hint of darkness. Perhaps it'd been meant to draw him out of his vegetative state. "Shien."

His muscles tensed though not nearly visibly enough for Kanzeon to notice. His heart skipped a beat. Shien? His comrade? His companion? Nataku's only other friend next to...oh, what was his name! Shien now paid his loyalties to Homura? The new War Prince?

Nataku's heart constricted. Nan de? Why do such a thing? Or didn't it make more sense for Shien to follow whomever the War Prince title passed to?

Plucking a lotus blossom from the little prince's own neglected viewing pool, Kanzeon twirled it between thumb and forefinger thoughtfully. "I do believe he blames himself for your condition. If only he knew; I hardly think he'd care to believe anyone but you, though, Nataku. Wouldn't you care to tell him...before he engages in some foolish activity or another? Won't you wake up and tell him it isn't his fault that you fell into such a despot position?"

_'Wake up? Wake up! I can't wake up! I don't want to wake up! Being like this is better than being their damn puppet any day! It isn't Shien's fault- he had orders from my father, from Li Touten, not to interfere. It isn't Shien's fault, he was only doing his job. It isn't Shien's fault that **I wasn't strong enough.**'_ The former War Prince bit his tongue as tormenting thoughts tore his mind apart.

What was going to happen? He watched only what he felt like seeing, and that was absolutely nothing. Nataku kept himself in the dark for five hundred years and he began to grasp what a lonely world his was. How uninformative.

What was going to happen?

What...was...going...to happen..?

Why did his chest feel like it might explode in his anxiety? Why did he feel such great apprehension?

**_What was going to happen!_**

_'Tell me! Negai! Tell me what's wrong!'_

"There's no need to worry, really, Nataku." The goddess managed a half hearted smile. Her concerns rested more on the eternally young god's future, or lack thereof. "With or without your help, it will all end in a matter of time. Tenkai has resorted to calling upon the ones of old times to liberate Shangri'la. They'll serve as they did so many centuries ago, much longer before you were ever born, Nataku. Do you remember their story? Do you know who I speak of?"

Of course he remembered. Of course he knew. What did she think he was, stupid or something? _'Sheesh! Don't move or speak for five hundred years and everyone treats you like a dummy!'_

"I'm sure you do." She smiled, as though reading his thoughts, and sniffed at the blossom in her hand. "So I suppose I'll save you the boredom of recounting the tale. Unless you want to hear it, that is. Your attention span had never been quite long when it came to lessons, though if I recall, you found theirs quite fascinating. Maybe it was because...you could relate to them. Powerful beings submitted to the will of their underlings. Sometimes I wonder just what ever caused them to lose their freedom...just as I wonder now: will you awaken to greet them when they arrive?"

There she went again with this awakening stuff. Part of him wished she'd tell him the story again. It'd been too long since she actually shared an interesting tale with him. All this crud about waking up and wistfulness started to make him nauseous after a while- too bad he wouldn't even allow himself to spew at times like that.

Maybe that was a good thing. He didn't mind getting dirty during play, but soiling himself with bodily fluids didn't have much appeal.

Kanzeon touched the pads of her fingers to his cheek. "Will you smile again and return to your usual impishness? Tenkai has grown so dull without your laughter dear Nataku. Tenkai lost everything that made it worth dying for five hundred years ago...it could use some real life again." Standing, she turned her back to him yet didn't depart. "I think you'd warn them."

Alright. He'd cave, but only in theory. Yes. If he were to awaken he would definitely warn the goddesses.

But he wouldn't wake up.

The black haired boddhisatsva continued. "You'd say to them..."

_'I'd say to them...'-_

"Take heed; don't become a puppet."

_'Iie. Don't become a puppet. Be free. Live for **you**.'-_

"Don't let them use you again. Take control. Do what you feel is right."

_-'Take control...don't be like **me**. Don't trap yourself in unhappiness.'-_

She faced him again, placing the blossom neatly behind Nataku's ear, bending to murmur to him. "Maybe they'd listen to you if you said all that. I have a feeling their deepest sympathies would lie with you, my prince."

When she turned away he took on a more peeved attitude. The dumb flower was tickling his face. _'Get this thing off of me. It's bugging me.'_

Kanzeon retreated, oblivious to Nataku's silent demand. Maybe she would go to the Jade Emperor's Summit after all. It might prove interesting to poke fun at the drab gods and question their intelligence just to stir things up a bit. All that talk of what Tenkai used to be had suddenly inspired the Merciful Goddess' childish side.

Nataku stared out at his invisible point, lifeless, silent, and cold. He groaned inside as a gentle breeze rustled the blossom's petals against his cheek again and a single insulting word flitted through his mind.

_'Wench.'_

**Konran Tower**

As per usual the War Prince Homura lounged in his throne inside his stronghold in deep thought. Both of his loyal lackies rested in their places, one on each side. Zenon leaned lazily against the pillar he had claimed, pretending to clean his ma-shin gun for the umpteenth time as the half-god reveled in silence.

Truthfully, the orange haired god would have done anything for some noise. Silence bugged him to no end. Silence and perpetually blue skies with perfectly hemmed foliage, smooth walkways, and evenly cut grass. It all annoyed the living shit out of him.

That's why he chose to share his company with humans. It was why he mingled with mortals rather than force himself into milling about those damn straight-laced by the book gods who knew nothing about the meaning of hard work and life's rewards.

_'Somebody scream already. I wish someone would freaking say something. This is drivin' me insane listening to nothin' but the humming of my own thoughts.'_

He swept the slightly soiled rag over the long barrel of his weapon repeatedly until it shone in cold black perfection. Heaving a sigh, Zenon dropped the cloth carelessly to the floor to admire what work he'd completed.

_"You appear to be annoyed with something, Zenon."_

Quirking his lips in amusement, the cycloptic immortal replied without glancing once to Shien.

_"What makes ya think that?"_

_"That's the fourth time you've cleaned your weapon in the last hour. Is there something on your mind?"_ Shien's whipcord figure circled into sight from the opposite side of a velvet carpet running the span of the room. His eyes remained shut, or close to it, leaving their color to one's imagination.

Setting the gun's butt on the polished floor, Zenon swung a green-yellow gaze sharply to his comrade. Usually he wouldn't resist a crass remark, however in this instance, with Homura in plain sight, he thought about it.

_"I'm fucking bored."_

Shien's eyebrows elevated, but only just; he became accustomed to the other's crude language some time ago, though on occasion it managed to surprise him. Especially when it had been a while since hearing it.

_"Then why are you still here? Why not find something to do?" _The silver haired tri-chakra god tilted his head in Homura's direction, keeping his visage contorted to stoicness. _"I can't imagine Homura would truly object."_

Homura barely paid any attention to his cohorts' conversation. His thoughts strayed into planning out his universe of equality, where all would live in unity, peace, and forego judgement of race and forbidden emotions. Nothing would be forbidden. Love could abound freely amongst everyone...everyone who deserved to live in such a Utopia anyhow.

Zenon swung the ma-shin gun by its strap over his shoulder, feet set apart as he smirked. _"Coz the moment I get outta here Homura's gonna spring back to life with our next game plan. It's not a moment I wanna miss y'know, demo, I'm goin' nuts with all this quiet. Why haven't we done anything yet? What's the deal?"_

The last inquiry was directed toward the half-god as Zenon turned to face the throne. One booted foot set solidly upon a step and a fingerless gloved hand adjusted a black eyepatch.

Turning as well, Shien awaited some response from their leader. He wondered momentarily if he'd even heard the question asked, though when mismatched gold and blue eyes fluttered he focused.

_"I'm waiting for the opportune moment of course."_

_"Opportune moment?"_ Zenon asked incredulously, rubbing a thumb over his chin. _"What opportune moment are ya talkin' about, Homura? The damn elemental is here. She's at Houtou Castle and here we are waitin' another eternity to go get her. What the hell are we waiting for exactly?"_

Unappeased by his companion's demands, Homura roused from his seat, cricking his neck to one side and then the other until the stiffness popped away. Cooly, his gaze flickered between Zenon and Shien, feet moving to stop on the middle stair of three, chains rattling in some complaint.

_"Didn't I already answer that? Don't tell me you believe she is fully aware of her abilities just yet. Perhaps waiting until her gifts come to fruition is a foolish moment to take her, yet I feel..."_ Pausing, he swung his gaze toward a viewing sphere, bringing up Erin's image from within Houtou Castle. At least Homura retained the right to 'spy' upon those in Geikai. _"...I feel that it would only further assure me of her skills. If she can put up a fight when we take her I will believe that Huo Kumiko's spirit has finally shone through. If she can do the least bit of damage to any of us then she will be worth taking away. That is the opportune moment...when our dim star shines just a little brighter."_

Nobody spoke. All eyes' attention clung to what the viewing sphere played out. It certainly appeared as though at least part of Huo Kumiko had surfaced within the otherwise mortal host. Her features had reverted to that of the goddess they all remembered from Tenkai...such fiery hair, striking eyes the color of a flame's blue center, a nearly waifish build with unimaginable strength and determinedness.

They watched as she conversed with Kougaiji, son of Gyumaoh, though their words were lost to silence. The sphere was good for scenes but not relaying sounds.

Shien's slitted orbs glided to Homura. _"I believe he is testing her gifts, Homura. It seems as though he challenged her to light the hearth."_

_"Gee ya think?"_ Zenon scoffed, crossing his arms, though he hadn't averted his attention from the event playing out. _"There. She did it. So what- can we get her now? Is that enough for ya Homura or are ya waitin' for her to do somethin' bigger like a bonfire?"_

_"I don't appreciate your belittling tone, Zenon."_ Homura cut off the sphere and retracted to his seat again. _"What we've witnessed is only a spark of her abilities. We wait. A week longer should suffice."_

_"Kuso..."_ the orange haired god turned tail, striding briskly away from his friends. _"Then I'm outta here 'til then. I could use some stimulation before my brain starts leakin' out of my head or somethin' of equal or greater stupidity happens."_

_"Take care Zenon."_ Shien offered, returning to his post. This too he had become used to. Zenon leaving without reason to sate some unquenchable yearning. He'd leave for days at a time if Homura didn't require service or aid.

The half god settled back in his throne, glancing momentarily to his remaining minion.

_"Aren't you going to leave too? There isn't much to be done yet, after all."_

_"Iie. I prefer to stay a while longer, Homura."_

Shien did not care to be alone at the moment, nor did he feel it was the best idea to leave Homura in solitude either. Lately the half-god had grown more desperate to make his wonderful dream come true and it worried Shien...worried him that Homura would stoop to a grievous act of self-mutilation. That he'd be driven to the edge from frustration.

Did Shien really hold so little confidence?

Not usually. He liked to think that their plan would work out, yet a worm of doubt had burrowed deep within his heart and ate away at his morale, at his hope.

Even if he never spoke a word while standing in the throne room, taking up diminuitive space beside a pillar, Shien entertained the idea that it would somehow inadvertantly stop Homura from fading into such a condition.

That this Prince of War would not fall victim to weakness and fail because of doubt.

Shien would not leave Homura's side and have the guilt of not protecting him from an early demise fall once again on his shoulders. Not like Nataku. He wouldn't fail Homura like he had failed Nataku.

And so he remained loyally by the half-god's side, calmly roiling in turmoil over his own past, wordlessly keeping company the one who would eventually cause all pain to subside.

The world would be right again...and nobody would have to hurt anymore.


	4. Misadventure

** A/N:**_ So it's about time that I posted this chapter, am I right? I must apologize for it having took me so long, however real life happened to get in the way. :) So after however many arduous months of working on Chapter 4 on and off, it is at last completed and ready for your reading enjoyment. I think. There may be mistakes in spelling or grammar- I tried to go through with MS Works' spell check but it hated just about every single name I have in here with the exception of Ashley, Katie, and Erin, of course. It hated everyone else. Yeah..so you know...read it and hopefully it'll tide you over til Chapter 5- whenever THAT comes out hahaha._

**CONTEST PROPOSAL:**_ All right, I got this idea one day, since there seems to be a considerable amount of reviewers who would like certain things to go their own way. Why not have a contest for YOU- my readers/reviewers, be you anonymous or members of here are the guide lines:_

_1. **Pick a pairing**- a HETERO pairing. This means your favorite girl and your favorite Saiyuki Sanzo-ikkou guy. It does NOT have to be a pairing that I have already made up- it can be anyone you want. So instead of Gojyo/Ashley or Goku/Erin, it can be Gojyo/Erin or..something like that. Got it? Good._

_2. **Write a fanfic!** A ONE-SHOT one chapter fanfic based off of Saiyuki: An Unlikely Story/Destiny using the pairing you have chosen. It can be anything from humorous to angsty/drama to utter complete mushy romance- I don't care! Make it as you would like to see a scene between these two characters. It doesn't have to be a certain length either- make this as short or as long as you'd like._

_**3. The deadline**__- We'll make it for September 21, 2005. That's Cho Hakkai's birthday, and I think a reasonable amount of time to assume I'll have the next chapter or two posted by. (I hope). All you need to do is post the entry here on your member page under stories and give me a link, OR if you'd rather, just email it to me and make the subject "Saiyuki Story Contest".  
_

_4. **The Winner**- will receive a prize especially crafted for them. I do a lot of fan art for Saiyuki and I've gotten pretty good I think. The winner will be announced "publicly" after September 21st when I post my newest chapter- beforehand the winner will be contacted by me through email. The winner of the contest will have a choice of a picture done in color of up to two Saiyuki characters- it can be their preference of being a scene from their fic, my fic, or just some random scene. The characters don't have to be just the guys- it can be of the pairing they have written about as well. _

**Disclaimers:**_ I do not own Saiyuki, nor do I have any relation to the show or Minekura-sama whatsoever. All characters belong to Kazuya Minekura and I make no profit from this godforsaken fic which has taken me all of a year and three months to write and I'm STILL not finished!. So don't sue me for crying out loud...I'm broke anyway._

**Claimers:**_ All original characters and original intricated plotline belongs to moi and respective owners, used with permission! Please do not steal or use for your own purposes with the exception of the aforementioned Contest. _

**Reviewers:**

** Pink Neon: **_You like Erin hm:) I'm sure she'd be quite happy to hear that she has a fan. Thank you for the review!_

**scrappydoo91:**_ And it seems you had to wait longer this time as well. I'm sorry for making everyone wait- and this is yet another hellaciously long chapter, so please bear with me. :) _

**Irin:**_ Hahahaha...aren't you just so funny:P Look. Here's your damn chapter. _

**Estriel:**_ You left such a great review, I have to thank you for it. So...THANK YOU! I'm sorry I didn't update by that weekend ahaha...but these things can't be rushed. As for breaking through Sanzo's shell- I can't really divulge what's going to happen, but I will say be prepared to see some of his resolve start to waver a bit. Enjoy! _

**virgo-princess93:**_ You left me a wonderful review as well! And you asked me some questions and so I will answer them :) When watching the Saiyuki DVDs they were only watching Gensoumaden- so for now, this fic will only entail Gensoumaden enemies and integrated plotlines. The reason why they wouldn't know how to defeat Homura is because at the time that I began writing this story, Volume 7 was just released. Therefore, we're going by the assumption that not all of the DVDs had been released yet and nobody knows what is supposed to happen. :) Your second question- yeah you're right about the steering wheel thing, I'm just slightly dyslexic and get my directions mixed up on occasion. Thank you and enjoy the new chapter :)_

**Lady Keilantra:**_I'm very glad you made a member name here. I'll have to visit your site soon. Anyhow- about Erin being able to speak Japanese or Chinapanese as we put it hehehe It's not really a big secret- she's been awakened as the Fire Soul already, hence her ability to speak the language and the other three's inability. Continue reading and I DO hope you take part in the contest I'm hosting!_

_And now...onto the story... _

**Chapter Four**

**Misadventure**

** Reimeiki, Shangri'la**

Gojyo awakened to sunlight filtering in through lightly dusted glass and shifted from his curled position on the cot beside the bed. He'd had one brought to the room after he made positively sure that Ashley wasn't going to wake up and wonder where the hell she was.

The damn thing was uncomfortable as Hell, but it was far better than sleeping outside on the ground or in the Jeep. Pushing up from the taut canvas of the makeshift bed, he casted a crimson gaze toward the still slumbering young woman. He wondered briefly what time it was, almost immediately seeking out blinking red digital numbers of a radio alarm clock--and then remembered what world he had returned to.

Shangri'la. Somewhere between China and India...perhaps they'd made Thailand by now, but he couldn't be positive. Or maybe just before the middle country.

Either way, it was the wrong era, the wrong world, and digital alarm clocks didn't exist.

Stoves did.

ATMs apparently did.

And vehicles, electricity, watches, and apparantly high tech computers in dimly lit laboratories located in India existed too.

_"But no goddamned alarm clocks that play music instead of ringin' my goddamn ears off."_ He muttered under his breath, at last swinging his feet to touch the cold wooden floor.

The female figure on the bed stirred though not enough to indicate she'd woken up. Perhaps in another ten minutes or so he'd see Ashley groggily roll over and wonder where the hell she was.

He would wonder too- though he hoped she wouldn't have a fit in seeing just who she ended up rooming with.

Shuffling over to a short counter, the hanyou sifted through the items which cluttered the surface.

Oh yeah.

Shangri'la had coffee makers too.

But no goddamned radio alarm clocks.

The proposition of caffiene pumped java appealed to him and he set about brewing some, coming to wonder just how old the beans might be.

_"They better be fresh or I'm gonna kill someone."_

It had to be early. He rarely felt so irritable in the morning unless he'd been woken up at the crack of dawn, thus he bet more than anything that was exactly the case. He'd woken up far too early and couldn't go back to bed. Not with fresh coffee dripping into a four cup pot.

Lighting his last cigarette, and making a mental note to buy more before heading anywhere with his three companions, Gojyo strolled to take vigil through the window. One arm lifted and rested against an old-stained wooden frame as his free hand held the lit smoking stick. Off in the East he found the sun not terribly high above the horizon.

_'Kuso...I could have slept in longer. Ah well...'_

Another rustle of bedcovers caused him to crane his neck, glancing at the young woman who at last opened her eyes.

_"Ohayo."_

Ashley quirked a brow, blinking sleep filled hazel eyes and muttered hoarsely. "Ohio?" She highly doubted she'd somehow woken up in her own bed in Montpelier. "What?"

Gojyo chuckled, ashing his cigarette in the metal tray set upon the nightstand. Of course. He forgot. She couldn't understand him.

_"Ohayo."_ He repeated for the hell of it, smirking and motioned at the window, outside, pointing to the sun.

Still somewhat confused, Ashley sat up, rubbing a hand over her eyes. How did she get into Gojyo's room? Last she recalled, she'd been sound asleep against Mandi's shoulder in the Jeep. Last night. And now...

"...it's morning."

It suddenly struck her what Gojyo had been trying to say in greeting and her lips quirked into a semi-smile. "Good morning."

As though figuring out her words, the red haired man finished his cigarette, dragging out the very last bits of nicotine from it, and snubbed the butt thoroughly in the ashtray. _"Koohi?"_

"Koohi?" Ashley repeated as her bleary eyes followed his form heading for the coffee-maker. "Koo-hi. Koo-hi...Coffee. Oh. No, thanks. I don't much like coffee anymore."

He had already set out two mugs though began to put one back when she shook her head in the negative. _"No coffee? What human being in their right mind would turn down a cuppa'java this early in the morning? Even coffee-haters have to guzzle down some caffiene boosted liquid to get going. Alright, honey, suit yourself." _Gojyo poured himself a mug of steaming black liquid and waved it beneath his nose. _"Hm...Tengoku...or Gokuraku, dependin' on your religion, I guess."_

She made a face as he sipped leisurely at the beverage- she'd outdone herself on coffee long ago and didn't care to make it a habit again. Swinging out of bed, Ashley turned her attention upon her own form. All her clothes were still in place, albeit a bit rumpled from travel and sleeping in them. Deducing that the kappa hadn't tried to take advantage of her the previous evening seemed like a safe bet. She didn't think he'd really try a thing so low in morals anyhow.

He'd never take the unwilling.

Ash found comfort in that thought...he truly had a heart of gold. She wished he'd let it shine through more often.

"I need a shower." She stated, standing and swiveled her head until finding the bathroom door across the room. Heading in that direction she was soon hindered by a sleek arm wrapping about her waist. "What are you doing?"

Gojyo put his mug down, holding the young woman to him, and a sly grin traversed his lips. _"Mind if I join ya? You're taking a shower, ne?"_ One crimson orb closed in a devious wink. It was never too early to flirt with a pretty girl.

Ashley rolled her eyes. She could only guess what perverted line had just been uttered, and while she'd love to try and figure it out, she really just wanted a shower. "Keep it in your pants, kappa." Grumbling beneath her breath, she wriggled free of his hold and continued until closing herself up in the bathroom.

The hanyou laughed low- kappa. She called him kappa. At least he understood that much from her. Her body language had told him plenty as well.

'Not right now, I'm too tired and I just want a shower. Maybe later. If I feel like it.'

Because everybody knew he always felt like it.

_"Not that I'll get it."_ He mused to nobody in particular, downing the rest of his coffee and returning to the window. _"Not from her anyway. Maybe that's what's made me so damn intrigued. The thrill of the chase...the chances of seeing what I might get out of it."_

Though it wasn't just the thrill of the chase. He had concluded, only vaguely, that it hadn't solely been circumstances which caused him to so valiantly pursue Ashley. Sha Gojyo had caught himself in a tangled web of emotion he hadn't ever felt before- he cared for her. Not that he hadn't ever cared about the women he shared one night stands with, but they were the love 'em and leave 'em type of caring. Not long term. Not the kind he found himself wishing he could just lie there with.

_"What the hell is happenin' to me?"_ He pressed his forehead to cool glass and closed his eyes.

Whether or not he'd ever get to discover if she was feeling the same way had been tossed up in the air and constantly treaded it. He felt as though someone dangled a carrot over his head and he was the jackass trying desperately to grasp it. Rewards for chasing a hopeless dream- absolutely nothing.

She was within reach and all the same his arms just weren't long enough.

He had to wonder..._'Is she afraid of something? Does she really not like me or am I the one who's afraid?'_

Sha Gojyo the ladies' man wasn't one for committment.

At least, he wasn't the type to settle down with one woman.

Even so- with a girl like her- he could very well give it a shot.

If she would give him a shot.

_"Highly unlikely, eh?"_

Opening his eyes, the hanyou let his attention wander over empty dusty streets and quite suddenly a heightening awareness of his loneliness overwhelmed him.

_"Sha Gojyo just isn't meant for love."_

Shying away from such pessimistic thoughts, his form retreated from the window and another nicotine craving hit him.

He guessed he could be compared to Sanzo in such a sense that when something bothered him, he smoked more often than usual. And Gojyo despised being compared to the monk.

With a craving to sate, the red haired man stuffed a hand into his pocket, withdrawing just enough yen to cover his favorite brand of cigarettes.

_"Must be my lucky day. Now let's see if anyone is even open."_

Pulling on the rest of his clothes, Gojyo left the room with a slight pang of guilt. If it'd been worth anything, he could have called through the bathroom door to tell Ashley where he was going. He could have left a note saying he'd return shortly.

Both would've proved futile. If the girls couldn't understand their language he could hardly expect them to have the ability to read it. Maybe she'd get the idea when he held up a pack of cigarettes after coming back.

That should speak for itself.

Strolling casually outside, he felt some discomfort in the fact that the only one marauding the streets...was him. Surely Sha Gojyo was not the only other person awake, out, and about the streets in this entire town. Though it had started to seem that way.

_"I'm thinkin' nobody's gonna be open this early...maybe a newspaper stand. They're usually up an' at 'em at the crack of dawn."_

The hanyou continued to ramble on, giving himself small consolation for being the sole pedestrian wandering through town. As confidently as he usually walked, his gait had taken on a somewhat slower pace.

Solitude was beginning to eat away at him.

Cigarettes seemed less important as the creepy factor steadily increased.

_"I am **so** not gettin' a good vibe here. Where the hell is everyone?"_

_"Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity."_ Someone spoke from his right side, causing Gojyo to sharply turn on his heels.

_"I'm only insane if I start responding to my own questions."_ He grumbled, having found an elderly man seated to one side of a newspaper stand. How bizzare that Gojyo was just thinking about one..? Ah well. He wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

_"Ah, hai, I do suppose that's true young man. Are you in search of anything in particular?"_ The old man replied with a broad smile, thin white hair fluttering after a light breeze.

For some reason his smile unnerved the hanyou- it reminded him of staring down Hakkai about fifty years down the road. _"Now that you've asked, yeah, I am. I was wonderin' if ya might sell cigarettes here by any chance?"_

_"We do. What's your poison?"_

_"Hn. Do ya have to put it like that?"_ Gojyo sauntered closer to the stand, eyeballing the selection arranged in neat rows along the back wall. Shifting a bit uneasily under the man's stare, the hanyou pointed out his brand and paid for it, smacking the pack against his hand to pack the tobacco down.

_"Have a wonderful day, my young friend." _Those words had left the elderly male's lips in such a way it almost startled the hanyou.

Ambling away, he couldn't shake the notion that a pair of glassy eyes followed his form down the street. Couldn't they go anywhere without someone playing the role of 'extremely odd suspicious stranger'?

Confident that the man hadn't up and followed him, Gojyo risked a glance over his shoulder only to halt his steps a split second later.

Where the hell had the guy gone? He didn't think a person that age could move that damn quickly.

More importantly, where the hell did the newspaper stand go? Even if it'd been collapsable, no way could it have moved already.

_"Goddamn creepy."_ His crimson gaze danced down to stare at the unopened pack of cigarettes and the gravely voice of the old man echoed in his mind. _'What's your poison?' _Turning his attention over his surroundings he located an outdoor trash can placed in front of a shop and tossed the entire pack in there. It hurt to do it, but he wasn't about to take any chances. _"Somethin' weird is goin' on here."_

Resuming his steps, Gojyo didn't stop again until he reached the inn, stepped up onto the deck and came to Hakkai's room's window. He'd see if his friend was awake yet and then give him a heads up. Leaning down, the hanyou man peered through the panes and froze.

_"What the..?"_ A low chuckle played in the redhead's throat as he at last slunk away to return inside. _"Hakkai...you dog."_

Returning to his shared room, the hanyou found that Ashley had already redressed-much to his dismay, shattering all hopes of accidentally on purpose stumbling across her naked just showered form-and she gazed to him cooly.

"And here I thought you ran away."

Her expression and tone once again sounded loud and clear to him. He could pick up a tone like that on a woman from miles away. Overexposure to estrogen could really wear down on a guy after a while.

_"Tobako."_ Gojyo said, reaching for the pack of cigarettes...and then remembered he had thrown it away. His shoulders slumped, though Ashley appeared to understand the word he said.

She gave him a disapproving nod of comprehension before standing away from the bed where she'd waited for him the last five minutes.

At least they hadn't left without everyone again.

Plus Gojyo's belongings still littered the room, which proved a tell-tale sign that the Sanzo-ikkou hadn't left or otherwise chose to leave their hanyou companion behind.

_"Hungry?"_ The redhaired man asked, offering a muffin from the basket sitting in the middle of the table. Complimentary. Always the best kind of food, no matter how stale.

Reluctantly the blond young woman took it from him, nibbling at the edge of the muffin as though testing it out for safety first. Who knew what could be inside of it?

This was Shangri'la.

Demons were always out to get the Sanzo party.

Ash wouldn't take any chances...but for now, she'd take this one.

She was damn hungry.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He'd meant to wake up before sunrise. It was the time he usually awakened and went about gathering his belongings so that he would be alotted more personal time before heading back out on the road west. Unfortunately, from his lack of sleep the prior night, Cho Hakkai found himself scrambling to do these things- a full hour and a half after the sun had risen in the East of Reimeiki.

The young woman he had offered to share his room with still slept- fortunately enough- and it left him with what he hoped would be apt enough time to complete his usual morning ritual.

_'I really must have become too comfortable with sleeping in while in their world...I'm slipping.'_ His slim frame bent at the waist to scoop up his dusty travel clothing. Not two full days on the road and they had already become cloaked by a sheen of dusty sand grains. Perhaps, if he happened to be so lucky, the inn offered a laundry service. He'd gladly wash everyone's clothing before leaving. At least that way they'd be comfortable to some degree.

_'Oh my...it seems I'm behaving as the mother hen once again. But then, taking care of one's personal property and health is a good routine to follow, isn't it? I'm afraid to admit that the other three hardly pay so much attention to things like this.'_ Hakkai discussed the issue with himself as he did many times before.

Why didn't he just let them take care of themselves?

Because they would never get around to it.

They'd be lost without him.

Literally. He supposed if he were to ever leave his friends behind that he'd hardly think twice about taking Hakuryuu along with him. The little white dragon grew into more than just a pet or transportation. He had grown into a friend, a confidant, and company for all the times that Hakkai had faced troubled evenings without a roommate.

And then how would Sanzo, Gojyo, and Goku reach India?

Walk?

Horse and carriage?

Donkey and cart?

Bicycle?

He could hardly imagine any of those choices being put to use, though a different means for travel would have to be conjured, surely, and that was just the _least_ of their worries.

Who would clean up after them?

Who would cook them proper meals instead of allowing everyone to eat unhealthily?

Who would remind Gojyo constantly that a beer can was not an ashtray; tell Sanzo that smoking so much really couldn't be good for him or protect Goku from the constant batterings from either of the other two?

All in all, who would be the glue to hold the group together and stop them from really killing each other?

So obviously Hakkai could not leave them. He'd worry for their well-being to stay away for too long.

Turning an emerald gaze toward the winged reptile he couldn't help but smile just a bit. _'Kawaii, desu ne?'_ A coil of pristine snow and flat wings lay curled beside Mandi's slumbering form, which was quite burrowed beneath the covers on the bed, and a soft chirrup escaped Hakuryuu disguised as a snore.

_"I wonder..."_ The young man turned, striding briskly for the bathroom and found his female friend's clothing hanging over the towel rack to dry. _"This certainly won't do. They'll become far too stiff to wear comfortably- and they're not even completely dry yet."_

From general knowledge of the young women's sleeping patterns, he imagined she'd remain asleep for a time yet to come, and so picked up the skirt, nylons, mesh shirt, and tank top and hung them over his arm. Turning his attention down, noticing he'd dropped something, Hakkai's cheeks flared crimson in realization that they were two articles of clothing- undergarments to be precise. With a trembling hand, he quickly scooped them up and folded them between the skirt and tank top and then threw his own clothes on top of everything.

Scanning the room, he wondered momentarily if he'd missed anything and noticing a terry cloth towel crumpled on the floor beside the bed, picked that up as well.

_'I think that's everything. Hai, hai, that's all.'_ He nodded to nobody in particular and slipped out of the door in search of a laundry room. He'd gotten only a few steps down the hall when a voice stopped him.

_"Is that laundry, sir?"_

Turning, Hakkai faced a seemingly frail young woman adorned in staff's apparel. A maid. Smiling warmly in greeting he shook his head in the affirmative.

_"Hai, sou desu. Is there a laundry room located somewhere here?"_

The young maid girl blushed faintly, holding her arms out for the bundle he carried. _"Hai, demo, that's the inn's service. Laundry is free after all. What's your room number? I'll have it back to you as soon as it's finished."_

He thanked her, gave her the room he stayed in, and then turned back to return. Since that trip had been canceled, he decided making morning tea and perhaps digging through supplies to make a small breakfast came next. Once again, Hakkai only got so far after the kettle cried out at being subjugated to heat for so long. He'd just poured steaming water into a mug for himself before a female voice startled him.

"Hakkai?"

A green gaze met honey-almond brown and after a moment the human-turned-youkai sprung to life again. He'd become so engrossed in preparing breakfast that he'd actually forgotten he wasn't alone.

_"Ah, ohayo gozaimasu, Mandi-san."_

She smiled wanly from beneath the covers, shifting to sweep a hand through her dark tresses- she knew the meaning to that greeting. "Ohayo gozaimasu."

Only then she found Hakkai gazing at her strangely, his cheeks forming bright red spots as he quickly averted his eyes. Her bare arm had snaked out from beneath the covers and Mandi was suddenly reminded of her lack of clothing beneath the bedspread.

"Oh shit...I forgot..."

Immediately she looked over the side of the bed for the towel she'd brought with her before turning in for the night.

It wasn't there.

_'Oh shit.'_ Hakkai cringed- he had picked the towel up to be put in the wash as force of habit. Circling until his back faced her, one hand pressed over both eyes, the young man spoke in embarrassment.

_"Gomen nasai! I completely forgot you were...what that towel was there for...gomen. If you want to...kuso, you can't understand what I'm saying. This is **extremely **awkward, isn't it?"_

"I don't know what you're saying, but I caught an apology. It's not your fault, you didn't know. You probably thought I was being a slob or something." Mandi muttered, wishing she could render herself invisable or dig a hole and hide in it. Her hands had a vice-like grip on the blankets, holding them up. She didn't expect Hakkai to try anything, but she didn't trust herself to remain aware of her nudity. "Daijoubu."

Waiting a few moments, Hakkai at last turned to face her wearing a ridiculously large smile which spoke loud and clear to the girl- 'I am such an idiot. Please, I'm so sorry. My, this must be mortifying...for both of us.'

The expression caused her to laugh which in turn only bewildered the dark haired young man, though did a lot to quiet his unease.

At least she handled it well.

Hakuryuu perked up at the laughter, stretching his sleepyness away, and then chirped cheerily as though trying to join in on a joke he didn't understand. Ruby eyes swiveled from young woman to young man and he took brief flight to land on Hakkai's shoulder, content to settle there for the time being.

Mandi calmed herself enough, watching as Hakkai rummaged through his belongings and then shook his head, disappointed.

_"It's a shame the Merciful Goddess couldn't transport all of you girls' clothing this way as well. I can't imagine why she'd enjoy--aha..then again, she is one to find entertainment at the expense of others, isn't she? She's the Merciful Goddess, she can do whatever she wants, after all." _ A light, nervous chuckle escaped him as he sealed up his supply pack and rubbed behind his neck. _"And here I was trying to find you something to wear. It seems everything I had has gone for the laundry."_

"Yeah...I still don't know what you just said, so you're basically talking to yourself. It's ok though, you're still cute even if you are a bit absent minded." The young woman mused to herself, pulling the blanket up farther as if trying to hide.

Hakkai turned, looking defeated, and then heaved a long sigh. _"Negai, don't think anything of this, I certainly don't mean anything by it. Here, wear this so you can at least move your arms without having to hold the blanket up."_

The youth ended his sentence by shedding his black night shirt and held it out to her in offering.

Trying to avert her gaze, even though she'd have _loved_ to have had a nice look at his topless form, Mandi took the shirt and pulled it on after Hakkai turned his back. Pulling the sheet around her waist to cover up what the shirt didn't, she cleared her throat to indicate she was decent and smiled to him.

"_Arigatou_." Almond colored eyes darted toward the unfinished preparations of breakfast and then expectantly gazed upon the brunette young man. "I guess you ought to finish what you were doing- I could use something to eat._ Harehetta_."

Catching only the first and last words the young woman uttered, Hakkai allowed a smile to cross his lips and turned, pouring a second mug of tea, and held it out to her before returning to his cooking.

_"Ah, sou desu ka? I'm glad to hear that you're hungry-it is nice for it to come from someone other than Goku for once." _A lighthearted laugh left his lips as he glanced toward the tea-sipping girl.

For a sliver of time he was content and a pleasant reminder of what life he used to lead shadowed him before his cheerful expression faltered. _"You like eggs, don't you? Hai, hai, I believe you did. After all, you cooked for us that first morning in your world and I do recall eggs being on the menu. That was really quite good, Mandi, I don't know if I thanked you and Ashley enough for doing that for us all."_

Mandi only smiled and responded when she had some idea of what he was talking about. It was like carrying on a conversation where neither of them truly comprehended the words spoken but didn't need them to understand the meaning. All that mattered was the tone and body language. So far so good and as they continued, her eyes caught sight of a Gojyo-shaped shadow crossing their wall. Glancing to the window, half expecting to see the hanyou, she found nobody and shrugged it off, returning her full attention to the green eyed youkai so ardently cooking breakfast.

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Sanzo rolled over in his bed for the third time, debating still on whether or not he felt like waking up. His eyes had opened a few minutes before, at least, though he couldn't muster enough motivation to push himself up and out. The mattress proved comfortable for once- perhaps one of the most he'd come across while traveling- and for once he had slept through the night.

There'd been no rain to keep him awake.

No sounds of Goku and Gojyo bickering about who did what in whichever card game coming from the next room.

Not a sign of Hakuryuu's gentle _snore-kyuu-snore-kyuu_ from Hakkai's bed because he had managed to get single rooms.

The monk stretched out, lying flat upon his back as amethyst eyes trained upon the ceiling, absently counting tiles. Some of them were marred by black, remnants of past occupants who'd been heavy smokers, or smokers in the least. He wondered if the stale scent of the cigarettes he'd used had added to it- if he was just another black spot on the ceiling.

To everyone else who stayed in that room afterward, who cared to notice thick black stains above them as they too lie awake in the morning, that's all Sanzo would be.

Just another face in the crowd.

Just another black spot on the ceiling.

Another random person.

Nobody special.

Sometimes, that nobody special was all he wished he could be.

In a strange way traveling tuned his senses into all the things he discovered he could have been. In that same way it made him realize perhaps that was what he would've been meant for, had his newborn form never found a way to the Chang'an River.

_'I wouldn't have to put up with those three morons every damn day.'_ He concluded, finally diverting his attention to a window on the far wall. The only window, he noted and snorted indignantly to himself.

Life without Goku's perpetual hunger.

Life without smelling Gojyo's awful brand of cigarettes.

Life without Hakkai's constant nagging of how to lead a healthy life.

Life...

...as just somebody _not_ himself.

Given the chance, the monk wondered if he'd take it all back and saunter down the path he hadn't been offered. Most people ended up able to make a choice at one given time, of just what sort of life they'd like to have. According to Genjyo Sanzo, he never received that. He never had the opportunity to step back from the water and voice that he did not want to take the path before him. That he would much rather turn around and walk the other way.

Be a nobody.

Another nameless face in a crowd milling about some busy marketplace, running errands for his parents, gathering supplies for his farm, or picking up a bouquet of flowers for some pretty girl or another.

The life he _couldn't_ have.

The one that would classify him as just another black spot on the ceiling at some half-assed hotel in the midst of a middle-class village.

Perhaps he'd never have known the pain of losing someone dear to his heart. Maybe he'd never have experienced all that Hell he'd gone through while living as a child in the temple under the name Kouryuu. He never held any contempt for what Master Koumyou Sanzo had named him-the only animosity he ever cared to display had been toward those less-than-holy monks who dared try to disgrace such a majestic honor.

Could he so easily discard everything his Master had taught him, whether it be in form of an intentional lesson or not?

Sometimes Sanzo suspected that every lesson learned had always been intentional, though Koumyou just had a special way of making it discreet. Secretly, Kouryuu the River Rat adored that while all at once he despised that he'd been tricked into learning something new.

The thought brought a half-smile to Sanzo's face. Rarely seen by anyone and moreso when he silently insisted on locking himself up the moment they arrived at an inn. Sulking in his own past, finding time to reflect and rediscover all the reasons why he'd never redo anything in his life...that was the monk's solitude.

Couldn't they see it was his solitude?

His way of relaxing and mellowing out, no matter how upset he'd been before?

Surely his companions realized that most of his attitude acted as a cover-up to his true self. Inside he was nobody more than Kouryuu, the little boy who'd been raised under the capable wing of Master High Priest Koumyou Sanzo the Thirtieth, and despite everything that happened or would come to pass...

...that's the only person he'd ever be.

No.

Sanzo would never turn around and choose the other path not taken. Not even for curiosity's sake. Obviously whatever life left behind the moment a pair of hands placed his fate in the river was not meant to be his but someone else's.

It hurt, what had happened. He'd never want to relive the moment of his Master being slain in front of him by a berserked and greedy youkai, yet he did anyhow. In his dreams. When it rained. Every waking moment the scene replayed in some obscured section of his mind where he actually allowed his thoughts to run errant.

Pushing himself up in bed, his fingers sifted through mussed golden-blond hair and violet orbs closed in remembrance of that kind face he'd grown so fond of as a child. That gentle-as-a-lamb smile. That sweet natured composure.

Those things Genjyo Sanzo longed to have awoken within himself but doubted anyone could ever bring out.

_"Iie. I wouldn't take back a damn thing, demo...I'd give anything to see you again. Just once."_

Damnit.

His level of anguish had risen a few notches which didn't please him in the least bit.

_"I'm going to turn into Hakkai if I don't get a grip for once. It's bad enough we're both haunted when it rains; I don't need to go mope about it every damn second."_

Mentally ordering himself to shut the hell up, Sanzo stood up, arranging his robes about his waist in a manner that was most comfortable. With all of his tossing and turning they'd managed to twist up around his legs, giving him limited mobility. Strolling to the bathroom with intentions to shower before going anywhere, the priest caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror.

He hardly recognized the face staring back at him. Dark circles lined dulled purple eyes, the corners of his mouth drooped like the corners of his eyes and then some in a nearly irreversable scowl, and he was damned sure he had about three hairs less than last time he checked. Not that Sanzo was one for vanity, but he began to wonder if the others weren't correct in their teasing that he'd become an old man if he didn't loosen up every now and again.

Gripping the edge of the sink, he leaned forward, heaving a sigh. Loosen up? He wished they'd see just how loose they'd be with all the burden he had riding on his shoulders.

If they wanted to, they could all very well walk away from this entire journey.

Hakkai could finish whatever he'd started.

Gojyo could lose himself in a fresh town with fresh women and fresh bars and not have to worry about a damn thing ever again.

And Goku would probably not mind spending the rest of his eternal life in some restaurant or another pretending to be a professional taste-tester.

But Sanzo...

...would still be Sanzo, and the task of stopping Gyumaoh's revival and retrieving the Seiten Sutras would only weigh more upon his shoulders.

Loosen up?

He tried, honestly tried, to bring a smile to his face. Staring hard into the looking-glass, the blond monk attempted to force his mouth to twitch into even the simplest of smiles- not that still grumpy half-smile crap he pulled on an occasion when something actually managed to please him.

God, was he really that big of a bastard that he couldn't even conjure up a smile out of nowhere?

Why? Hakkai could do it all the time and it was clearly fake, but to everyone else it was believable, it was warm, it was amiable.

Why couldn't he do that?

Sanzo tried again, feeling much like an imbecile, a cripple relearning how to walk. He used to smile when he used to have a reason _to_ smile.

_'Kuso! Why isn't this working! That looks like a wince, not a fucking smile!'_

_"Gah!"_ He threw his hands up in the air, managing to send a porcelain soap dish flying from the sink and clear to the bathtub beside him. His eyes followed the arc the dish made in the mirror, watched it crash against the shower head, bring the entire piece crashing into the tub, and then watched the same dish shatter into jagged shards after it.

Growling, mainly at his own impatience, Sanzo turned sharply and padded out of the bathroom, grabbed up clean silks to wear beneath his white robes, and stalked across the hall to wake Goku up. He'd use the monkey's shower- who knew if the heretic even bothered to take advantage of one anyway?- he figured at least the golden eyed boy would be awake and ready to go this way.

_"Goku, wake the hell up and open the door."_

Sanzo already knew this was not going to be a good day.

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_"Goku, wake the hell up and open the door."  
_As obediently as he ever behaved under one of Sanzo's direct orders, the primate-esque youth simply looked at the door from his place at the round table inside the room. Wake up? Well that much had been done for at least an hour, though only on his part. Goku quickly dared a glance to Katie who remained asleep, face partially exposed from beneath a thick comforter, mouth just slightly agape.

He started as another raucous tremor shook the door, seeking to bring down the walls of the inn.

The situation, as the boy viewed it, could not end well. Sanzo didn't know that one of the girls who Hakkai and Gojyo were forbidden to bring back rested in the very room that the monk demanded entry from. He'd pitch a fit. He'd shoot off his gun and flail his harisen around until a few good smacks landed on Goku's poor head.

Imagining this, Goku brought a hand to rest atop his spiky chesnut hair, wincing in painful anticipation. Maybe if he just didn't answer...

_"Goku, open the goddamn door!" _Sanzo bellowed, grumpier than his first order.

_"Or maybe that's just as bad of an idea..."_ Whimpering softly, Goku crept for the door. Quickly his golden orbs assessed how flimsy that slab of drab wood really was. It'd bear no means of protection from flying bullets or even a swift kick from one of Sanzo's sandals.

_"Goku-"_

_"Alright, already, I'm comin'! Don't be so loud, Sanzo..."_

Promptly thereafter, a sinewy hand plucked the door open, but only enough for Goku to pop his head out into the hallway.

_"Nani?"_

A pair of violent-intent amethyst gems gleamed sharply beneath arched blond brows.

_"Don't 'nani' me. It took you long enough to get off your lazy ass and answer, saru. I'm using your shower, so open up all the way and let me through."_

Frantic, the shorter young man shook his head, feet plastered in place. _"Why can't you use your own?"_

Sanzo blanched for a moment. No way was he going to reveal the true reason- he couldn't handle the embarassment of what'd happened because of his own insecurities. Clearing his throat he dredged up his gruffness once again.

_"It's broken. Let me in, Goku. Move your ass."_

_"I-I can't."_ Sun-gold eyes widening some more, the monkey-youngster shook his head vigorously.

_"Nande?"_

Goku began to close the door on Sanzo, mistakingly taking a worried glance over his own shoulder to check that a certain someone remained asleep. _"Mine's broken too."_

_"Bullshit, let me in Goku." _The irate monk persisted, slamming a palm heavily against the door, teeth gritting together. He meant business. _"I know for a fact it takes a lot of work to get you to even take a damn shower, why the hell would I believe that you'd already have checked on you own accord. That is...unless someone **else** checked for you?"_

Caught by the element of surprise, Goku stumbled backward as his blond companion forced his way inside and shut the door. The chimpish youth wondered how quickly he could escape by means of the window if it came down to it.

_"Kekek, I have no...idea what you're talkin' about, Sanzo. I take showers without someone tellin' me to, damnit, I'm not a dumb chimp like everyone else says. Like **you** always say."_ Convinced that the taller man had yet to see the contents of the bed, Goku began to urge Sanzo toward the bathroom. _"It's right over there, Sanzo-sama. Just make it fast, okay? I gotta use the toilet-"_

_"Then use it now, Goku. I don't want to be hurried because one of your kidneys burst."_ Sanzo huffed, crossing his arms tightly across his chest.

Goku started with a reply- one that perhaps wouldn't have been so clever or persuading- but a creak of box springs silenced both he and the ill-tempered priest. Two pairs of eyes, one fearful the other disdainful, danced toward the noise's source as the once slumbering woman slipped back into a more conscious world.

A slow, satisfied smirk eased over Sanzo's lips. Never mind that he was more than perturbed about the extra presence.

_"Did you really believe you could hide this from me, Goku?"_

Goku's limbs stiffened as Katie groggily moved about in her attempt to sit up sleep-free. _"Hai. Ano...maybe...just for a little while."_

"Hnnn...be quiet! I'm trying to sleep..." The young woman's words were half slurred by the obvious remnants of fatigue. She lifted a hand to push through a mass of brown locks before flopping back onto a pillow.

Sanzo sneered. He didn't know what she said though understood an unfriendly, grumpy tone when he heard one. He could very well be the inventor of such an attitude- especially in the morning.

_"I have ears, Goku. I knew last night that those other two idiots brought the girls back. I'm not stupid, and just how did you expect to keep them a secret anyway? I swear you three don't have a brain cell in between-ugh!"_

As a pillow launched through the air deftly made a landing pad out of the monk's face, his angry rant ended abruptly. No doubt he knew where it'd come from and immediately daggers of accusation shot toward Katie from his darkened violet eyes.

Goku clamped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing- his companion's expression had been too funny to ignore.

"I said shut up!" The young woman demanded once more, her sleepy mind forgetting in that second that the other two couldn't comprehend a word she uttered. Sighing exasperatedly, Katie sat up straight, palms flat upon the mattress, blue eyes blinking rapidly to focus free of the dream world.

A giggling chesnut haired youth and a very upset blond priest aligned in her field of vision and slowly her mouth opened once again. Could she say...caught? Not by Goku, of course, but by the priest. She was sure he wasn't supposed to know about her return, or the return of her friends.

_"Close your mouth. Say another word and I will...kill you."_ Sanzo glowered, eyebrows narrowed, meaning to intimidate, a hand reaching for the Smith and Wesson shourei at his side.

"I can't understand you." The reply came heatedly in correspondance to his tone, her eyes flashing to follow the direction of his hand. "If you shoot that damn thing at me, I'll haunt you, I swear."

Goku swiveled his head between the pair, absolutely bewildered. Without understanding what the other said, he had to wonder how they managed to communicate. He recalled something Gojyo had said about body language and it certainly seemed as though both Sanzo and Katie were on the defensive. Someone was going to get hurt here and he wasn't so sure it was going to be who the monk thought.

Jumping on his heels and waving his hands, Goku motioned to the bathroom nervously. _"Ne, Sanzo! Just forget it! You came in here to use the shower, right? So go and use it. Kill Katie later, okay?" _A wide grin spread over his face, hopeful that somehow he could convince Sanzo to forget getting attacked by a lumpy motel pillow.

_"I thought you said yours was broken too."_ Sanzo scowled, tearing his eyes from the young woman to his shorter follower. _"It's magically repaired now, is it?"_

_"Mou, mou! It was just an excuse t' keep you out, demo, it didn't work. Just go."_

_"She-"_ A pale, thin finger pointed directly at the young woman-who squinted her eyes at him in return and refrained from sticking out her tongue- _"she had better be gone by the time I'm through. That gives you ten minutes, Goku. Got it?"_

_"H-hai.."_ Goku agreed hesitantly. He hadn't the slightest idea how he'd get Katie out, where she could go, or what she and the other two girls were supposed to do after the four travelers departed once more.

Defeated for the time being by Goku's not-so-suave influence, Sanzo retreated for his shower, making sure the bathroom door slammed loudly to accentuate his irked mood.

Turning slowly on his heels, Goku faced Katie with a forced pleasent expression. It felt more like a grimace to him. How was he supposed to do this?

_"Ne, Katie-san..?"_

Hearing her name, she directed her attention to the golden eyed youth who appeared to be hemming and hawing about one thing or another. Katie bet she could guess it in three tries.

"Let me see...he wants me gone. Am I right? Of course I'm right. Sanzo can't go five minutes without being a prick, can he?" Her feet swung out of bed to hit the floor as a devious smirk lit across her lips. "So what happens if I just stay? He'll shoot me? I'd like to see him try it."

A dark eyebrow elevated above one golden orb. _"Nani? I dunno what you're going on about, demo, if you don't leave before he gets out, he might really try and shoot you." _Goku never liked being the mean one- not unless it meant beating the living daylights out of a group of especially stupid youkai. Generally, he only wanted to help others, and he supposed if he thought over it enough, this was definitely going to help Katie. If she left, Sanzo wouldn't have to threaten her life, right? Thus, Goku gestured for the door, and then to the window. _"Gomen nasai, Katie-san, demo...you better go. One way or another."_

She understood and didn't hold it against him. Either Goku did what Sanzo ordered or face his wrath, and Katie, along with the other girls, didn't find the fan-beatings so amusing anymore.

"Fine, I guess I'll go then, but...where are Mandi and Ashley? I'm not leaving the inn without them you know."

Catching only two names, Goku figured easily enough that Katie wanted to meet with them .Why wouldn't she? They were all three in the same boat and all three from the same world. Each was the other's security blanket- a bit of reassurance that someone still understood what words spilled from their mouths.

Motioning for her to follow him, the shorter youth headed for the exit, opening the door and allowed Katie to step through first. He remembered the other two young women were staying with Gojyo and Hakkai, so, once he was reassured that his friend followed, Goku made way to Gojyo's door first.

_"Ne, Gojyo! Are you awake yet? We have a problem!"_

Silence thundered in Goku's ears in the form of his beating heart and Katie's breathing. When it didn't seem that the hanyou planned on opening up, the brown haired young man raised a fist to pound on the door.

_"Damnit roach-boy, open up already! Sanzo's really pissed off-"_

_"What the hell are ya yelling at the door for, baka?" _Gojyo's voice sounded from behind Goku and Katie and the pair turned in some surprise.

The red headed man leaned lazily against the door frame, a towel draped around his shoulders, hair dampened from a recent shower. _"My room is over here, dummy."_

_"Don't call me that! You told me your room was number twenty-one and that's where I am!"_ The other companion complained in his own defense, only to grow more angered as Gojyo snickered.

_"I told ya that so you'd leave me the hell alone. It's room twenty-two. Now what the hell do ya want?"_ Crimson orbs danced toward Katie and Gojyo smirked a bit, nodding to acknowledge her. _"Ohayo."_

"Er...ohayo." Katie responded. She knew that much at the very least. 'Morning'. Stretching up, she craned her neck to peer past the lean man obscuring her line of vision into his room. "Ashley? Are you in there?"

Within a few seconds, the dusky blond haired girl appeared just behind Gojyo, a breakfast muffin in hand. "Yeah. What's going on?"

Katie shrugged, rolling blue eyes before allowing them to meet a pair of hazel ones. "From what I can gather, Sanzo knows we're here, he's pissed and wants us to leave the guys alone. Are you gonna finish that muffin?" She stared plaintively at the carb-loaded, slightly stale lump in her friend's left hand.

"Probably, but there's another one in here if you want it." Ashley turned, took a couple of strides and returned with another muffin to hand over to the older girl. "So wait- what the hell does Sanzo expect us to do?"

"Wander around until our legs fall off, I guess. How am I supposed to know? I just know he's pissed off and wants us gone and away. I can't understand a goddamn word that jackass says. Or that any of these guys are saying." Katie gratefully took a bite out of her breakfast- the only substanance she'd be getting for a while, she suspected.

They turned to look between Goku and Gojyo as the pair conversed and remained just as lost as ever.

_"So Sanzo knew this whole time that we found 'em and decided to wait til now to tell us t' get rid of 'em?"_ Gojyo relayed back to his counter part, disbelief lacing his inquiry. _"That buddha-thumper is turnin' into more of an asshole every day. Where does he think they're gonna go?"_

_"I dunno!"_ Goku flailed his arms in defense. _"Demo, Sanzo says they can't stay with us. I guess they can stay here in town...ya think they'd be okay here? I mean, it's safer than them traveling alone, right?" _

_"Safer?"_ Gojyo snorted, pushing away from the door frame to walk next door, rapping lightly on it. _"I dunno if it'd be safer. Maybe for just a while, 'til the youkai decide to raid this place too. They've been in every town we've been in, what makes ya think they wouldn't come to this one too? It's all a matter of time, chimpy."_

Disregarding the insult, Goku cast a worried glance at both young women. _"Well they'd still be better off here than out there alone- at least for a little while, ne?"_

The door in front of Gojyo opened wide to reveal Hakkai's curious face, green orbs focusing in on the red head as one hand replaced the silver rimmed monocle. Smiling as per usual, the dark haired man stepped out.

_"Oh, Gojyo- is there something you needed? It isn't time to leave already, is it? Usually it's Sanzo who--oh. The girls..."_ He trailed off, noticing Ashley and Katie standing not too far away, silently munching on breakfast muffins. For a split-second he felt remorse for cooking a heartier breakfast for Mandi and himself, though he sensed something in need of more urgent attention.

_"That bastard of a priest says the girls have to leave again."_ Gojyo all but spat at his friend, withholding the frustration meant for Sanzo. _"He's kickin' them out of here."_

_"Eh? How can he kick them out of the inn? He doesn't own it, after all."_ Hakkai forced his smile to stay in place, though a murmur of a more raucous emotion bubbled from within and he fought to keep it in check. _"So what would stop them from staying here a while longer, hm?"_

_"Maybe the fact that they don't have money."_ Gojyo pointed out, leaning casually against the wall and propped a foot on it. _"I say we form a mutiny and haul them along with us no matter what the monk says."_

_"Hai-hai!"_ Goku agreed heartily, pumping a fist into the air.

_"Hmm...I don't think that's such a good idea."_ The third laughed uneasily, rubbing the back of his neck. _"Chances are we'll have three dead girls on our hands if we let them tag along. Though, Gojyo- you are right about one thing. They don't have the proper currency so I can't see how staying here will benefit them in any case. I wonder..."_

"What's going on out here, a convention?" Mandi's voice interrupted as she eased past Hakkai and tugged at the sleeves of her mesh shirt. She turned to see Ashley and Katie and greeted them with a 'good morning', doing the same with Goku and Gojyo by saying 'ohayo gozaimasu' before standing with her two friends.

"Hm. There's something about you this morning..." Katie arched an eyebrow devilishly. "You seem...chipper."

"Huh? Chipper? Maybe because I slept really well and my clothes are clean now and smell really good." The younger brunette grinned, scratching her cheek beneath the stares of her comrades. "Why are you looking at me like that- whatever you're thinking, don't."

Ashley chortled in amusement. "You're getting defensive over nothing. Your clothes are clean though. They smell like detergent and..." She paused to sniff at Mandi's shoulder quickly, assessing the other scent. "...detergent and fried eggs."

"Oh. A maid came with my clothes and Hakkai made breakfast just a bit ago. We only just finished eating before Gojyo knocked at the door...so...what's going on, anyhow? Why are we all convening in the hallway?"

Katie's expression soured considerably as she popped the last bit of strawberry muffin into her mouth. "Mr. Sunshine wants us to leave, apparently, but I have no idea what we're going to do. We have no money, and no transportation to get anywhere..."

"Looks like the Merciful Goddess has us up the crick without a paddle, huh?" Ash sighed, crossing her arms and frowned. "If this is some kind of test, then I don't like it."

"Maybe it is." Switching honey-almond eyes betwixt her friends, Mandi shrugged. "She might be testing our abilities to survive out here. It could be a way of activating our elemental souls- by learning to cope with what Shangri'la has to throw at us."

Lifting her eyebrows, Ashley considered the theory. "Could be. Without a clear explanation we can't really say. This is still too surreal for me to take in. First they come to our world looking for elemental avatars, then we're told that _we_ are the avatars, and now we're in Shangri'la trapped by a language barrier, lack of currency, and no powers to compensate for our mortality."

"This sucks." Katie summed up, promptly flopping onto the floor and crossed her legs. "What are we going to do? We still have Erin to worry about too, you know."

Mandi's eyes followed the oldest girl's form to the floor. "And we're down." She smiled in her uncertainty. "I'd say we should follow the Sanzo party, if not for the fact that we have no means to do so, however, I do have a feeling that things will end up working out for us."

"Work out how? Right now the only thing we've got going for us is that we're actually in a town and not lost in some youkai-infested wilderness!" Katie groaned, rubbing her palms over her face.

At that precise moment, Hakkai strode up to the female trio and cleared his throat so that the three pairs of eyes focused on him.

"Hakkai?" Mandi asked- she didn't know what else to say or how to say it at that.

He held his hands out and nodded toward her to do the same. Slowly she lifted her palms out, confused until a wad of paper and a small leather pouch touched her skin.

_"Douzo, take it. It isn't too much, demo, it will help you out some, even if it's just a little bit."_

"What is it?" Ashley tilted her head to see over her shorter friend's shoulder. "Yen? What for?"

A giggle escaped Katie's lips as she sprung back to her feet. "A payment for last night's services, Mandi? That's why you're so chipper this morning, huh? Ok, I'm done." She quieted down after receiving an ominous glance from the second brunette.

Mandi shook her head, stretching her arms out to return the gift. "Iie. You can't do this- it's probably all you had on you."

Gojyo and Goku moved to either side of Hakkai, both with persisting grins. Obviously they all three had chipped in their yen to go toward the 'Support the Elementals Foundation'.

_"Go on and take it. I'm willin' to bet that ya won't make any cash wanderin' around here, unless you're into the shady business."_ The hanyou insisted, waving for the three to give in.

Goku smirked. _"And if they were in that kinda business then you'd be payin' them anyway, you letch, so it's not like you're really losin' much, is it?"_

_"Hm. I guess that's true."_ Gojyo chuckled and refrained from asking the youth or Hakkai if it'd be the same for them. He already knew the answers to that question and either way, he'd still look like a pig.

Hakkai forced Mandi's fingers to curl around the yen in her hands and then slid back from her. _"Chizu. You still have the map, so you'll know where we're going next. Perhaps...perhaps we'll all meet somewhere again...in fact, I'm sure we shall."_

_Chizu._ The map. The young woman nodded in some understanding and relinquished their new funds to Ashley who stored everything in a wallet kept in her pants pocket.

"Domo arigatou, Hakkai-san."

Bowing his head just enough, his green gaze flitted between each female. They didn't catch the anxiety he had brewing behind those orbs, but that was for the best. He didn't want them to worry because _he_ worried.

_"Itashimashite. Take care, all three of you, and good luck."_

_"Sayonara!"_ Goku waved as he retreated for his room.

Gojyo stood quietly before giving a brief wave. _"Be careful ladies and steer clear of those pesky youkai." _He grinned, giving up a wink to Ashley who snorted and rolled her eyes with the smallest of smiles on her lips before walking away.

After the girls vanished from sight, Goku reentered his room in time to meet Sanzo's intense violet gaze.

_"They're gone now. I hope you're happy."_

If not for his dampened mood, Sanzo might have responded differently. Nevertheless, he stuck with his foul attitude. _"Ecstatic. I'm going to pack. We're leaving in one hour. Get a move on, monkey."_ With no more to say, and without waiting for Goku's reply, the monk strode out into the hall and back to his own room.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After roughly half an hour of wandering Reimeiki, a few yen wisely spent on a better breakfast for Katie and Ashley, as well as for a couple of canteens, the three young women retired to a bench situated out front of what appeared to be a barber shop. Purchasing items proved more than difficult due to the language barrier- the girls were more than suspicious about the merchants selling to them trying to take advantage of this fact by ripping them off. Somehow they managed to only spend about fifteen hundred yen on everything. At least they figured it out to be around there.

In all honesty, they had no idea how much Hakkai, Gojyo, and Goku had given up to begin with. None of them knew how to count the currency and none of them could read the characters on any of the paper notes. Nevertheless, what they had helped out in sating two stomaches and saving three souls from death by dehydration. At least for a little while- though they weren't sure what would save them from perishing at several pairs of clawed hands and sharp youkai teeth.

"So...what should we do now?" Katie leaned forward, polishing off the very last of her rice and dropped the container into a nearby trash can. "Stay here? Leave? Though we'll be going on foot, I bet."

"Seems that way." Ashley responded quite indifferently about means of transportation. Her main concern had switched to the Elemental business. Why hadn't anything happened yet with that?

Mandi propped her elbows on her knees, resting her chin in her palms, and sighed. "I don't think my shoes can take much more of this long walking in the sand thing. There's got to be a better way to do this. If we knew how to use our gifts-"

"What gifts?" The youngest girl quipped, skepticism to her tone. Her eyebrows knit together, one hand gesturing to some obscure place or another. "I'm starting to wonder if this isn't all a big sham. If Kanzeon's not just messing with us. Why hasn't anything happened with us yet? We don't know how to defend ourselves and Sanzo's sorry ass is leaving us all behind."

"I know." The darker haired girl replied, shrugging a shoulder helplessly. "I honestly have no idea what's going on now. Maybe she is fooling us, but even so, Erin is still here, right? Maybe we ought to worry about getting to her. We know she's probably at Houtou, and that is where the guys are going."

"Why don't we just follow them?" Katie inquired, blue eyes constantly dancing over passers-by. The town had certainly woken up in the past few minutes, though its residents appeared put off by the trio of oddly dressed young women wandering amongst them. "What if we use the rest of our yen to find some means of transportation and just follow the Sanzo party?"

Ignoring a glare from a couple of middle-aged women walking by, Mandi chewed her lower lip. "Do you have something in mind, because if you noticed...vehicles aren't exactly commonplace here. They're pretty far and few between. I haven't seen one single one and we've been all over this place."

"Horses." Ashley muttered quietly, hazel gaze glued to the ground. "We passed a stable. There might be horses up for sale."

"Do you think we'd have enough to pay for a horse?" Lifting her head from her hands, the almond eyed girl stared down in the stable's direction. "We could haggle, though I don't know what good it'll do. We might still get ripped off- and there are three of us."

"Even so," the eldest girl interjected as a familiar gleam shone behind her eyes. "If we cause enough of a distraction, maybe one of us, or two of us, can steal away a couple of horses?"

"Steal?" Mandi and Ashley spoke together in mild disbelief.

Had it really come down to that?

Katie stood, a hand resting upon one hip. "At least it's an idea. Might be worth a try too. What other choice do we have but to walk? And I'm sorry, but I'm not going to put myself at risk of having a seizure due to over-exhertion. I can't walk that far- and the only one who has proper footwear anyway is Ashley."

Ash took a second to silently applaud herself for choosing to wear tennis shoes the whole weekend, though quickly reminded herself that nobody knew they would be swept off to Togenkyou. "We could always go bare-foot."

Mandi screwed up her face, shaking her head. "My toes are not going to get eaten by scorpians or tarantulas. I say we check out the horse idea first. Who knows, it could be our lucky day."

Still wary over the entire ordeal, regretting it some that she'd even mentioned horses, Ashley caved and stood up after Mandi. Her hand clutched at what remained of their budget. She'd not risk losing even one yen of it- that could make all the difference.

Once again blanketed by silence, taking in their immediate surroundings and carefully making their own assessments about those living in Reimeiki, the girls strode closely together for the barn.

There just seemed to be something awry about the town.

Something darker than what met the eye.

...something twisted...

Upon reaching a wide establishment of quasi-rotted wooden boards, Katie took the liberty of popping her head between the broad sliding doors and called out.

"Anyone in here?"

A tap on her shoulder startled her and she stepped back to see a man in his early thirties giving her the queerest of expressions.

_"Can I help you?"_

"Uhh..." The lighter haired brunette tried to find some hand motions, some kind of notion that would make the man understand. Unfortunately she'd already grown uncomfortable beneath his inquisitve eyes. "Guys, feel like helping me out here?"

"How?" The other two asked, though stepped forward all the same.

The stable hand sighed heavily in his confusion. Whatever these girls spoke, it definitely wasn't his native language.

_"Look, whatever you want, could you get to it already? I've got a long day ahead of me and someone brought in two mares to be boarded that I have yet to take care of."_

"Ri-i-ight..." Mandi muttered then snatched up the pouch in Ashley's hand quickly, holding it up. "We'd like to buy a horse, please. Er, negai- horse...this is not working." She pointed to the coin purse then to the inside of the barn and smiled hopefully.

"Wonderful. Now we're playing charades." The blond young woman commented, turning slowly to ease her way into the barn. She'd at least check out the stock and see if any were even worth making a purchase.

"Better than nothing." Katie retorted, following after her younger friend, both leaving Mandi outside to deal with the stable hand. "Think she'll be able to make a deal with that guy?"

"Who knows? Possibly. If anything, she'll distract him." Ash responded almost absently as she checked out a feeble looking horse in the first stall- definitely not this one. It'd sooner keel over before think about making a trek to India. "Think we should've warned her that she's our distraction?"

"Nah. If she complains we can just argue that she more or less offered by taking the money from you." A small smirk curled Katie's lips as she peered into a stall.

Whilst the pair continued to search for suitable mounts, Mandi tried to keep her target from entering the barn just yet. He hadn't made any sign that he understood what she asked him and until he did, she'd do her damndest to make him comprehend.

"Kuso- ne, Baka-san!" She glowered out of some frustration, shaking the coin purse in his face. The insult did well enough to grab his attention and he glared sharply at her. Well, she guessed that much of her Japanese came in handy- she managed to piss him off but now she needed to puncture that thick skull of his. "Yen- horse. Horse for the yen. Got it?"

_"If you're asking about a horse then I suggest you stop insulting me, girl."_ He crossed his arms, squinting one eye more than the other, teeth gritted. _"Stop waving that purse in my face. If you want a horse I have three for sale, but you're gonna need more than what that pouch is holding."_

Mandi glanced toward the stables, slowly lowering her arm as the stablehand grumbled some more to himself and led the way. Now what? Wasn't the plan to distract him long enough to hijack at least one horse from the barn? And when did she become the distraction anyway?

"I'm gonna kill them." She muttered under her breath and stalked after the young man, tugging on his shirt. "Wait! Hang on! I'm supposed to stall you, damnit, turn your backwater-town butt around!"

With a growl very evocative of a certain blond Buddhist priest, the stablehand did indeed turn around sharply, his chocolate colored eyes slitted. _"What is your problem? Are you slow in the head? I already told you I'll show you the damn horses- isn't that what you're after? Damn out of towners are more trouble than you're worth!" _

Whatever he had just said, Mandi's assumptions led her to believe this guy's stress levels were above and beyond their peak.His eyes had darkened considerably, pupils oblong rather than round, and his hands had balled into fists so tight his knuckles were white. She took a step backward- suddenly there was something about this fellow which exuded danger, and she had just lit the short wick for the dynamite.

"I...I um..." The words wouldn't even find a way to tumble in some sequential order from her lips, her throat dried and out of habit she licked her lips. "Uh..."

_"What's wrong with you? Can't you say anything now? You seemed talkative enough a few minutes ago, so what is it? Cat got your tongue?" _Leering over her, the stable hand made his height more evident as he towered over her five foot seven figure by at least half a foot.

Blanching, Mandi did her best to avoid wrinkling her nose at this closeness. For one, he majorly broke the personal space rule, and for another thing he reeked of some rank odor or another. Manure? He worked in a stable, after all, but no- it seemed to be something else. She'd been in a barn before and didn't quite recall the stink to be quite this intense, or different. Her honey-almond gaze met the deep mud brown of the other and her lips parted in a silent gasp as one large hand snatched away the coin purse and held it between them.

"Hey! Give that back- you haven't even given us anything yet, so that money isn't yours, pal!" She furrowed her eyebrows in determination, attempting to swipe the pouch away but her fingers groped the air and hung there. Her attention danced to a gleam of silver across the man's wrist, ignoring his penatrating gaze from behind strands of wild hair.

A bracelet? A single, thin, silver band without a clasp circled the stable hand's left wrist- how peculiar. What kind of manual labor worker would wear jewelry anyway? What _male_ manual labor worker would wear jewelry- especially a bracelet? Realization sunk in as a snide grin marked the man's face and his free hand covered the trinket as Mandi turned her head and shouted for her two friends to hurry their asses up.

"Find anything yet?" Katie asked without turning around to look at the blond young woman.

"Nope. Most of these hardly look sturdy enough to go riding around the barn on." Ashley replied, sighing. This idea wasn't working out in their favor so far and they were running out of stalls to check. Her hand ran over a rusted latch as hazel eyes focused through the dim lighting to study a stocky mule through the wide slats of wood. "Except this one, though I'm willing to bet she's not for sale."

An audible gasp reached the taller young woman's ears and she turned curiously. "What is it?"

The elder one merely pointed, directing a forefinger on each hand toward two separate stalls positioned side by side.

"Well, what is it? I can't read your mind you know..." Ashley strode over, hazel orbs directing their view to comply with Katie's own. "Whoa...they look like..."

"Rose and Cosa." Katie finished, her voice barely audible over the din of two horses now whickering excitedly.

Rose and Cosa- her two 'babies', her horses that had been regrettably left behind in the girls' world.

She approached one stall which contained a tall, proud looking bay Standardbred mare and stretched an arm over the door. "Here girl- here Rosie. C'mon Rose..." Katie noted the mare's initial hesitance, though she kept at it.

"Maybe they just really look like them. I mean, it's possible if we can jump from our own world to here in Shangri'la." Ashley theorized, crossing her arms as she watched the other persist in coaxing the anxious mare over.

"No." A pair of blue eyes flashed in determination, free hand snatching up a palmful of nearby hay to offer the horse. "It has to be them. I _know_ it's them. See?"

Sure enough her goal had been reached and Katie decided to test her own intuitiveness by reaching up to the equine's ears, causing her to nicker, shake her head, and snatch the hay away to munch on. "She's head shy. Just like Rose. So this has to be...Cosa."

Turning to the next stall, Katie offered another handful of hay to a Strawberry Roan mare of slighter stature, sporting what appeared to be a mane and tail of matching pale gold. From instinct any well-informed horse lover could tell this breed was mixed, though perhaps only her owner could divulge the specifics.

"Cosa-cos...come on sweetie."

Ashley watched closely as the younger mare pranced up a bit more confidently than the first and graciously accepted the hay, nudging the other young woman's hand for a bit more. "Alright then, maybe you're right. So what do we do about it?"

"Take them! They're mine after all." Katie smirked, taking note that for whatever reason, both had been saddled up already. Apparently Rose and Cosa had just been ridden in, or they'd been waiting to go for some time.

"Ash! Katie! Hurry up!"

Mandi's voice squeaked from outside of the barn, and then suddenly grew louder as she darted inside the dimly lit establishment.

"Whoa, what's up?" Ashley stopped her friend, placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder, one eyebrow arched high on her forehead.

"Mandi! Look! It's Rose and Cosa- somehow they got here! I don't know how, but they did!" Katie pointed out excitedly, already busily freeing her two beloved pets from their state of temporary captivity.

"What? How- well- okay, nevermind that right now! That guy out there, the stablehand, he's a-"

_"What are you doing!" _The stablehand's sharp voice gruffly interrupted Mandi as he burst into the aisle, a feralness written across his angular face.

"Yikes." Mandi cowered, ducking behind Ashley, and pointed at her would be attacker. "He has our money- do we have horses? Enough horses anyway? Because if we do, I vote we get the hell out of here before he turns full youkai on our asses!"

"Youkai!" This came from both Katie and Ashley, both pairs of eyes rounding in alarm as they soon realized the full potential of what kind of danger they could get into.

Only this time, they all highly doubted Priest Genjyo Sanzo and party would come to their rescue.

"I've got Rosie and Cosa, but we still need another."

_"Let go of those horses! Hey! Kuso! Put them back, what do you think you're doing!"_ The man threw down the pouch of yen and brought a hand to circle the bracelet on his opposite wrist.

"Ash! The mule!" Katie lifted her chin in direction of the mule sitting quite calmly in her own stall, as though nothing of importance was happening. "We might as well, there's nothing else worthy of riding."

"Whatever." Shrugging, Ashley reached an arm out, unlocking the mule's stall door and hooked a lead rope onto a frayed halter already fitted upon the animal. "Out you go- Mandi, wanna ride her?"

"Huh! I don't care! I just want to get out of here before he eats us!" Mandi's answer came shrilly as the stablehand growled ferociously, tearing off the silver band. "Oh gods..."

Before their eyes, what seemed to be completely human at first began to change, a bright aura surrounding the male figure as a terrible cry spilled from his lips. He transformed into a beast of claws, teeth, and elongated ears, snarling at the trio of young women as they frantically sought an escape.

It was amazing what a person would do to save their animals, though discarding a power limiter seemed a bit over the top.

"Let's go!" Ashley cried out, swinging herself up onto the bare backed mule. She had offered it to Mandi, but thought better of the idea after a moment- the only really experienced riders were herself and Katie. Making the third girl ride bare back wouldn't be quite fair, and she knew that Mandi had ridden Rose and Cosa at least once apiece.

Katie glanced between her two horses and then spotted the coin purse lying carelessly near an open stall door. "What about our money?"

"Leave it- unless you feel like trying to get past Mr. Deranged over there." Mandi replied, approaching the smaller of the two horses. "I'll take Cosa, okay? I know she's probably hyper, but at least I know she'll _move_ when I get on the saddle."

Even at this point in time, with a half crazed youkai staring them down, Katie found time to chuckle in amusement. The last time Mandi had visited and attempted to ride Rose, the bay had refused to budge or would only go in reverse. She consented- only for the case that their situation wouldn't end well if the Standardbred decided to choose stubborness over obedience.

Katie hoisted herself up into the smooth saddle on Rose's back, waiting on Mandi's second attempt and success to mount the Arabian-Paso Fino mixture before thinking about moving.

_"You won't get past me!" _ A growl spewed from the once-stablehand-now-youkai's mouth as he hunkered down, claws fully extended. A lolling purple tongue hung out down to his squared off chin as he continued dancing in front of the three young women.

"You know, I still don't get how they can talk with their tongues hanging out like that..." Mandi muttered.

"I know, right?" Katie agreed, shrugging one shoulder as she kicked Rose's sides to get her going. "You'd have thought it'd all be explained by now!"

Ashley snorted, following the older girl's lead and somehow managing to get the mule moving along as the bay plowed past the demonic stablehand. "I guess some mysteries are better left unsolved."

"Hey!" The remaining female shouted, taking up her reins and urging Cosa after the other two while their offender recovered from a hoof to the chest. "Wait for me! Let's go Cosa- behave for me, please, and you'll get all the treats you want!"

As though agreeing wholeheartedly to that deal, the young mare nickered and followed her orders to go after the others. However, the girls came face to face with what seemed to be an entire army of youkai citizens and they wondered if their odds wouldn't have been better if they'd stayed inside the barn.

"What'd we do to piss them off!" Katie shouted, weaving Rose with a bit of difficulty between bodies with outstretched clawed hands.

Ash easily pulled up beside the bay. "Remember where we are- it might have nothing to do with us."

Next came Mandi, appearing a smidgen uneasy riding so quickly under the circumstances of their situation. "It could be the minus wave! And if that's the case, we're smack dab in the middle of a youkai town searching for food and we're probably looking tasty about now!"

All the same, whatever the details were, she couldn't help but wonder if it would have turned out different had she not pissed off the stablehand. Deciding that dwelling upon it didn't change that they were being chased by berserked villagers, the honey-eyed young woman paid more attention to getting through everything intact.

"Which way is out?" Katie inquired, manuevering her mount enough to miss the fierce claws of a youkai and managing to trample over another.

Ashley risked a glance to the sky, noted the sun's position, and turned the mule left. "Maybe there's an exit this way- it's West, where we've got to go."

The remaining two riders complied, steering with as much precision possible to keep playing keep away from the demons without ramming into each other or getting slashed to bits. Snarls and ravenous cries rose to the air as the youkai ran, trampling each other in the process of trying to reach their meals on the go.

"Look! Up ahead!" A gleeful shout from Katie brought Ashley and Mandi's attention to the edge of town where a certain group of young men fought their own battle.

"Seems like we're not the only ones in trouble." Ash noted, pressing her mount on a bit faster as her right leg kicked out to stave off an attack.

"Yeah, but they're not the ones who're going to need help!" Mandi pointed out, leaning forward in the saddle, asking Cosa to pick up speed. "Should we stop or pass them up?"

"Considering that they're doing just fine on their own and our asses will be grass if we hang around?" Blue eyes dared to flicker over, meeting light brown and then hazel in turn.

The blond girl smirked. "Good point- they can catch up with _us_ then."

--Half an Hour Earlier--

Cho Hakkai's vivid forest green eyes trained intensely upon the door separating him from Genjyo Sanzo. The brunette youth strongly contemplated using a forceful chi-gong blast to demolish that obstruction- just to get his point across of how upset he truly felt.

But since when did he show what emotions lay under his mask? Beside that, he thought better of breaking down the door for two reasons: All of the yen in his pockets had gone to help the three young women, therefore he couldn't afford to pay for damages, and Hakkai severely doubted breaking down the door would constitute for any rational conversation between he and the priest.

What to do..?

_"Ne, Hakkai, what are you doing?"_

The youthful voice of Son Goku inquired from out of the blue, causing Hakkai to jump, startled. Placing a hand over his heart, the slender humanesque demon laughed uneasily. _"Maa, maa, Goku! You shouldn't sneak up on people like that!"_

_"I wasn't sneaking."_ Goku defended simply, hands lifting to lock behind his mane of chesnut hair. _"Are you gonna try to talk to Sanzo about the Elementals? Is that why you're standing in front of his door?"_

_"Mmm..."_ The elder of the pair wondered if he should say anything, though knowing his comrade's persistance, he caved. _"Hai, I was debating over it."_ Somehow hearing the heretic refer to the girls as 'Elementals' relieved Hakkai. Clearly he could not be the only one who believed what the great Kannon had revealed to them. His gaze cut back to the door and he fell silent.

_"Ano...what are you waiting for?"_ Goku's golden orbs flitted between his friend and Sanzo's room's door. _"You're not scared, are you Hakkai? If you are, maybe we can both talk to him- maybe he'll change his mind! He almost never says no to me, and if Sanzo changes his mind and the girls are still in town..."_

Once again an uneasy smile flickered across Hakkai's lips and he rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, sighing in defeat. He feared all chances of what Goku proposed actually coming into fruition were slim to none.

_"You're not givin' up, are ya man?"_

This time Gojyo tossed in his two cents, stepping out of his own room with a supply pack stuffed full and ready to go dangling from one hand. The hanyou arched a thin red eyebrow, eyeing his full youkai counterpart expectantly.

Hakkai feigned obliviousness to his friend's remark. _"Giving up? I'm sure I don't know what you mean by that, Gojyo."_

_"Don't pull that bullshit Hakkai. I can't believe you're quitting- __**you** of all people."_

Goku frowned, dropping both arms to his sides and then decidedly pounded a fist against the monk's door. _"If you don't do it, Hakkai, I will! Sanzo can't go around treating people like this, you know?"_

_"Like _**_what_, **_saru?"_

Making a small 'eep' sound and turning his attention up, the chesnut haired boy found a pair of heated violet eyes upon him. Discovering that Sanzo could appear more than slightly intimidating when fully annoyed, Goku thrust a thumb in Hakkai's direction, taking a step backward and seemingly forgetting his strong desire to tell the priest what's what.

_"Uh...Hakkai wants to talk to you. He'll tell you all about it, hai-hai."_

It took a lot of self-control to keep his hand from flying across the back of Goku's head- but Hakkai figured he'd be no better than Sanzo or Gojyo in that instance. His emerald orbs focused upon his blond companion's face, the brunette's own visage holding an unreadable expression.

Setting his jaw, Sanzo directed his eyes to an ever-smiling Cho Hakkai. Damn it. He hated that face with a passion right now- especially since the monk could only imagine what kind of mood their driver was in.

_"Unless I miss my guess, this is in regards to your friends, or whatever the hell they are to you."_

_"Hai."_ The slightly taller young man lifted his forefinger and thumb of his left hand._ "There isn't any chance that perhaps you've changed your mind about letting them come along with us, is there?"_

_"Absolutely none whatsoever."_ Sanzo answered without hesitation, shaking his head of perfect golden tresses as his fingers nimbly worked to light a Malboro Mild.

Hakkai turned his head toward Gojyo who stared at him with a determination which read 'if you don't convince him, I will'- and the brunette was positive his friend's method would include at least one powerful punch. Clearing his throat, green eyes cut sharply back to Sanzo, darkened with some degree of madness.

_"Gomen nasai, my friend, demo- don't you think that your behavior is just a little bit unacceptable? I can't imagine why you're being so cruel to three defenseless young women."_

Sanzo's clenched fist connected with the door frame, his free hand almost snapping his cigarette in half as he half spoke, half growled at Hakkai. _"How dare you say **my **behavior is unacceptable? Especially after the fit that **you** threw yesterday in the restaurant like some overgrown spoiled brat whining because he didn't get his way?"_

Stunned by the monk's choice of words, Hakkai's resolve went down the weaker of two paths and he blanched as his smile faltered just so. _"I was hoping you had put that episode out of your mind...I suppose you are right about how I behaved yesterday and I apologize for any unwanted attention drawn to us, demo- I'm running out of ideas of getting you to see that these three can't go traipsing about Shangri'la without some of our help."_

The fiesty priest merely stared in reply and Hakkai's smile disappeared altogether. What _was_ this? Could he easily give up on them just because a certain unholy man deemed the girls as his personal enemies for a reason yet to be understood. Sadly, he felt that was where their conversation would end- with the Sanzo-ikkou departing Reimeiki without so much as a backward glance.

At last, Sanzo huffed. _"I hardly put that out of my mind, and I don't care what you say to me, Hakkai. They're not going any farther. Not with us anyhow. If they need to get somewhere, let them find their own way. You don't see anyone jumping up and down to help us out do you? In addition, we don't need the extra baggage slowing us down. They'll only get in the way."_

_"Demo, Sanzo!" _Goku butt-in, slamming his palm to the wall in protest. _"The girls can't even speak our language! How do you expect them to get by out here without us? We're the only ones they know!"_

_"If they're smart enough, they'll find new buddies to mooch off of."_ Sanzo quipped dryly, taking a drag off his cigarette.

_"Don't forget the youkai."_ Gojyo spoke, figuring it was about time he piped up and did some of the work. Breaking the monk was a three-man job anyway. _"Togenkyou is crawling with berserked demons and even the really stupid ones will be smart enough to figure out those girls are defenseless against their attacks."_

Appalled, the Buddhist monk snorted, taking another, extra long drag from his cig. _"Gee, I hope you're not all ganging up on me to make me feel guilty."_ His tone dripped with sarcasm, mouth twisted down into a deeper scowl.

This, of course, had been precisely what the others had planned. Somewhere, buried deep beneath that stone heart, Sanzo had a sympathy trigger. It just hadn't been found yet- at least, not in this situation.

_"Is it working?"_ Inadvertantly spoiling their 'plan', Goku cast wide eyes to his mentor.

_"Iie. Baka." _Gojyo muttered, reaching around Hakkai's back to give the back of Goku's head a good smack.

Annoyed- or even beyond that by this point, Sanzo glared to each of his opposing party members, resting his burning gaze upon the brains behind it all. _"They are **not** coming with us. I've said it once, I'll say it one last time. If there is such a thing as these Elementals, and these three are them, then they shouldn't have a problem getting around on their own. We did our deed- they're here, aren't they? We have a mission to accomplish, and as far as I'm concerned, we're lagging too far behind to bother with Tenkai's ridiculous schemes to save this godforsaken country." _Snuffing his cigarette, the monk snorted, not quite finished setting his followers straight._ "Against my wishes you brought them back to town- let that be good enough for you, to know where they are. If anyone says anything more on this subject, especially to me, I'll shoot him."_

The remainder of the young men exchanged glances amongst one another. It seemed they lost the argument by a long shot.

_"Fair enough, my friend, fair enough."_ Hakkai's shoulders slumped as he turned for his room to gather what he'd left behind yet. _"Hakuryuu is waiting for us all outside. Whenever you're ready-"_

_"-Hakkai."_ A sharp kind of smugness laced Sanzo's voice, abruptly interrupting the younger man. _"If they happen to find transportation, you know I can't stop them from following us."_

Of course.

Brightening considerably, the young man perked up and straightened his posture. His smile could clearly be heard as he spoke. _"Hai. I'm sure you're right about that. Those girls certainly seem strong willed, don't they?"_

Goku's amber orbs enlarged to the size of meatbuns. _"You mean you're gonna let them go with us?"_

_"That isn't what he said, dumbass."_ Gojyo insulted Goku casually, smirking at Sanzo's vague and uncommon act of kindness. Ruby eyes slid toward their 'leader's' otherwise stoic face. _"He just said he can't stop 'em if they decide to follow us."_

_"Sou, sou, sou! 'Coz we're allowed to travel, ne? And Sanzo isn't the King of Togenkyou or anything and we're not the only ones allowed to travel, ne?"_

Apparently it had just dawned on Son Goku that nobody had the right to prevent another person from going wherever they so pleased, and if all seven just so _happened_ to head in the same direction, so be it.

Sanzo huffed, folding lithe arms across the gold painted plate over his chest. _"Don't expect that we're going to babysit their sorry asses if they get into trouble and we just happen to be in range."_

_"Oh no, of course not."_ Hakkai barely managed to conceal his delight. _"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some last minute packing to do."_ The monocle-wearing man vanished into his room, missing the wry chortle of amusement from Gojyo.

_"Do I even want to know why you're laughing? I hardly think any of this merits your reaction."_ The blond monk elevated an eyebrow to his hanyou companion. Why had he even put such an idea into their heads that those bothersome girls could more or less tag along on such a perilous mission, so long as they found their own transportation? As though to ease his own discontent, he sniffed haughtily. _"I highly doubt they'll be able to find anything in this town anyway."_

Waving a hand insouciantly, the erotic kappa turned on his boot heels, striding for an exit. _"That's not why I'm laughing. I just figured he'd have started whistling by now."_

_"Whistling?"_ Sanzo grunted. He had never heard Hakkai whistle before for anything, and certainly not because he was pleased. _"Nan de?"_

_"Hai-hai! Nan de?"_ Goku chimed in, flying along at Gojyo's feet. _"Tell us!"_

Without turning, the crimson haired playboy snickered, slyly lilting his words. _"If you had seen what I did earlier today, you'd know why."_

Clearly disgusted by Gojyo's slight of perversness, Sanzo began to close his door. _"I'm sorry I asked."_

_"What did you see?"_ The more youthful, less gravelly voice asked, quite oblivious to his comrade's inference.

Naturally, Goku's inquisitive nature never failed and Gojyo found himself put on the spot. As they both stepped outside, he swung his belongings into Hakuryuu's backseat and shook his head.

_"Nothing. Don't worry about it."_

Pouting, two arms crossed tightly over Goku's chest and his eyes read that he could fully have a tantrum if his question wasn't answered. Coincidentally, the monkey reminded Gojyo strongly of a certain little girl he had helped some time ago.

_"That's all you three ever say to me when I wanna know something! 'Don't worry about it' or 'It's nothing, Goku' or 'Maybe when you're older'. Do I have to remind you that I'm plenty older than all three of you put together!"_

_"Ha, maybe so man, demo, you sure as hell have a long way to go before ya start acting like it." _Gojyo retorted, eyeballing their surroundings. Things seemed a lot busier than it had a while ago- that creepiness factor had worn off almost completely. If not for his run in with the weirdo newspaper vendor, Gojyo might have been willing to forget it altogether. _"When you stop acting like a monkey, then we'll let you in on stuff. Until then, you're left in the dark."_

_"Kuso!"_ Goku threw both arms to his sides, squinting one eye smaller than the other suspiciously. Lowering his tone, he leaned in closer to his taller, lankier companion. _"Is it about...sex?"_

Startled beyond all comprehension, Gojyo's demon-like crimson orbs bulged in alarm. Who the _hell_ taught Goku about _sex_! Coughing uncomfortably- he had always imagined a more responsible someone explaining the birds and the bees to the chimp, namely Hakkai- the hanyou wrapped an arm around Goku's head.

_"Hey! How about we go get some meatbuns for the road? I could use something to eat anyway- and some cigarettes." _Briefly he wondered if Goku had anymore cash on him, since Gojyo too had spent the last bit of his own yen.

Eyes lighting up, Goku pumped a fist into the air, despite the noogie being given to him. _"Hai-hai! Sugoi!"_

Gojyo sighed with relief.

How simple, the task of distracting the spirited youth's concentration. Especially when it came to his favorite topic of conversation- food.

It never failed.

--Half an hour later--

_"Tell us again when you first noticed something suspicious!"_ Two shots fired from the holy Smith and Wesson in Sanzo's left hand, taking down the bullets' respective targets easily.

His question, directed toward a certain hanyou kappa, packed more heat than the smoking Shourei

Gojyo shrugged a shoulder, grunting in effort as the crescent blade of his Shakujo sliced into a few opponents. He smirked in satisfaction at their blood-curdling screams. _"Earlier this morning, nan de?" Don't tell me ya were expecting this to be a peaceful town, buddha!"_

Even if Reimeiki appeared as nothing more than a relatively small, quiet village, for some reason or another it had quickly transgressed into an uproarous bustling youkai city. What made matters worse were the facts that three young women still wandered somewhere and could very well be subjugated to this violence, _and_ that every single citizen appeared to be berserked blood thirsty demons.

It seemed off-kilter, to have a town entirely made up of youkai. However the Sanzo-ikkou had come to the conclusion that it might very well have been meant as refuge for those who hadn't turned crazy from the minus wave sweeping over Shangri'la. There had been rumors of such places scattered about each country where humane youkai could flee to and live without being bothered by wary humans.

Apparently Reimeiki no longer fit the bill.

Just as Hakkai drove up to the exit of town, a line of youkai greeted them, all dressed as common villagers and all armed with various tools to use as weapons. It pained him to see them all- women, children, men, and the elderly- all ruined by whatever nonsensical magical and scientific concoction had been brewed up in India.

It hurt him more to know that slaying them all to defend themselves and get to their final destination was necessary. Such regretful thoughts never settled into the darkness of his mind until after the merciless crimes he committed at Hyokugen Maoh's keep.

Murdering unsuspecting youkai, even those innocent of their leader's vicious, wicked ways, had not once registered as sinful or immoral during his attacks.

But now...

...now he wondered how he ever brought himself to do it at all, especially when it was for the sake of an entire stretch of country instead of for just one, single woman.

_"Hakkai! Pay attention!"_ Goku's voice called out in warning and the brunette youkai constructed a chi-shield in time to block an onslaught of burning wood.

_"Ahh- arigatou, Goku! That was a close one!"_

_"For the record, Red, I wasn't expecting this to be a peaceful town- I was just expecting an attack earlier than this."_ The monk replied as he guilessly shot down three more youkai- all women- all rather young, and all with killer instincts. Sanzo closed his eyes briefly- he didn't go completely without sympathy for these creatures. He knew it wasn't their fault, but damnit, they got pesky after so long.

_"What a shame. I was so hoping to take a break from opening a can of whoop-ass on these poor, dumb fools."_ Hakkai's lips stretched into an indominable perma-grin, pushing forth a strong dose of chi energy from his palms and completely annhilated a flock of five oncoming youkai.

The other three quirked their eyebrows at the green eyed man's termonology, though never missed a beat in battle.

Goku spun on the balls of his feet, pressing his back against Hakkai's whilst shoving one golden orbed side of his Nyoi-bou into an offender. _"You must've caught the same wrestling show that I did when we were in America, huh Hakkai?"_

_"Perhaps."_ The youth winked his good eye before dodging a weak punch from one youkai and in turn blasted him into oblivion. _"I was kind of hoping it'd make me sound tougher, considering that our enemies like to underestimate my strength. Apparently they don't find me too intimidating."_

_"Don't tell me you actually prefer harder competition?"_ Sanzo snarled, taking cover near Gojyo in order to reload his weapon with another round of slugs. A crooked smirk curled his lips. _"That's more work than I'd prefer."_

_"It can't hurt to get a work out every now and again."_ Gojyo replied, sliding away from the priest as soon as the Shourei was locked and loaded once again. Everyone knew how notorious Sanzo was for his laziness.

Gods forbid he do more work than necessary.

A loud gurgle emitted from Goku's stomach and he moaned pathetically, half heartedly wiping out his next wave of attackers. _"How many of 'em are there anyway! All this is fighting is making me hungry!"_

_"See?"_ Sanzo pistol-whipped a youkai before ruthlessly shooting it in the head. An old man this time. Goddamnit, couldn't he just get the run of the mill psychotic middle-aged demon instead of the children and grandpa here? _"If we fought harder opponents, that'd be more food to stuff Goku's bottomless pit and less for us."_

_"Point taken!"_ Hakkai grunted, sending an errant chi ball to sweep across ten whole demons. He watched them fall and bent over slightly, panting. _"Even if they aren't exactly intelligent, they certainly have us by number. There's too many, Sanzo- I'm proposing we run away now."_

_"That's all fine and dandy, Hakkai, demo- aren't you forgetting one thing?"_ A sharp stare from twin crimson gems caused the brunette youkai to straighten in curiosity. Gojyo leaned against the tall metal staff of his Shakujo. _"Ashley, Katie and Mandi are still around here somewhere. Don't tell me you're about to hightail it outta here without checking to see if they're alright first."_

_"Ah..."_ How could he have forgotten? The very thing he'd fought so hard to protect he almost planned on leaving behind in a youkai infested town. However, as he began to respond more extensively, Cho Hakkai felt a strange tremor beneath his feet.

All those amidst the heat of battle halted in confusion, turning their eyes toward the east end of town. A rather large dust cloud swirled over otherwise hard packed sand and then- a rush of youkai, all chasing something.

Or someone.

Three someones to be exact.

_"The girls!" _ Goku hopped up and down excitedly, swinging about his red and gold staff so exhuberantly he accidentally knocked out a demon in mid attack.

_"Well would ya look at that? They've got horses." _ Gojyo smiled complacently at Sanzo whose eyebrows furrowed together in defeat. _"Looks like they found transportation after all, eh, monk?"_

_"Urusai kappa!" _A shot rang through the air, a bullet capsule screaming past the hanyou's right ear to lodge itself in the forehead of a middle-aged demon who tried to take advantage of the distraction. _"Forget them right now- they're safer than we are at the moment."_

_"Ne! Katie-san! Mandi-san! Ashley-san! Oi! Over here!"_ Continuing his enthusiastic waving, Goku knocked out demon after demon.

When the girls on their mounts ended up riding right past the group without bothering to look their way, it was all Hakkai could do not to laugh aloud. Here they were, he, Goku, and Gojyo, trying to convince Sanzo to let the girls tag along on their little adventure...and there the girls were, riding off into the west all on their own.

Oh the irony.

He couldn't have been happier about it.

_"Sanzo, might I make a suggestion now, before we all keel over from exhaustion?"_ Hakkai called out, not daring to turn his gaze from the battle in progress. He released a weaker chi-gong wave as fatigue set in.

_"If it's to get the hell out of here, I'm one step ahead of you Hakkai."_ Indeed, Sanzo had already made a beeline for Hakuryuu, who incidentally managed to remain completely untouched during the skirmish.

More than ready to leave, Gojyo and Goku hopped into the Jeep's backseat, weapons still in hand for good measure, and Hakkai slipped safely behind the wheel.

Without so much as a warning and putting the petal to the metal, Cho Hakkai gunned it out of the town of Reimeiki and into the West. They all wondered- yes, all, though Sanzo wouldn't be the first to admit it, if at all- just how far the trio of young women had gotten. Nevertheless, it'd only be a matter of time before they all headed in the same direction together.

**_Terms_**

Reimeiki- A Japanese term meaning "New Beginnings" This fits in two cases- one being for the young women, and another in the sense that those youkai who had not gone insane were able to start their lives anew. Until they went crazy, of course

Left hand- For those who didn't know...Genjyo Sanzo is left handed. Like me! Whoo-hoo:)

Shourei- Again, for those who didn't know, this is the 'holy' terminology in which one would call his banishing gun.

Shakujo- Gojyo's crescent blade weapon, also known as the Kakujo, depending on what you wish to go by. Our stupid English or the Japanese manga term.

Questions about any Japanese terms used in the story? Let me know in your review and I'll gladly give you an answer. Stay tuned til next time kiddies!

Matane!


	5. Setting it in Motion

**Author's Note:** Okay, so has it taken me long enough to write this effing chapter or what? o.o I am SO sorry for the incredible delay, but I've got things in order now and I'm ready to get back on to the grindstone, so to speak. First things first- I'd sent her an email though hadn't gotten a response- as promised, the winner of the contest previously mentioned in Chapter Four is **_Lady Keilantra_**. Look her up- the one-shot she did is entitled "Shopping Trip". It's good, I promise!

Next? I must apologize for the shortness of this new chapter. Having taken such a long hiatus from it, my brain was fried and I had to push myself to write it. Not wanting it to sound forced, I stopped where I did and decided it was good enough- hopefully- to tide you readers over. I hope I have readers left. -sweatdrop- Chapter six will be longer, girl scout honor.

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own the pretty men. Minekura does. And the Elementals are mine- as well as their respective selves...coz I don't own Ashley, Katie, or Erin. :D Enjoy!

** Chapter Five**

**Setting it in Motion **

**Tenkai, Lotus Garden**

Kanzeon Bosatsu clapped her hands together as her indigo hued gems overlooked scenes unfolding in Togenkyou.  
She couldn't quite figure if her emotions ran of the delightedly pleased or the perpetually frustrated, though in retrospect, the  
goddess guessed 'amused' to be among them either way. As a whispery laugh parted her painted lips, the silver haired deity across  
the way sighed in mild irritation.

"Merciful Goddess what could you possibly find so entertaining _now_?"

Jiroushin eyeballed his counterpart with as much enthusiasm as a defenseless human surrounded by berserk  
youkai. One bone thin finger pushed a marker across the game board resting on a table between the pair and he exhaled softly  
once more when Kanzeon failed in replying.

"I really wish for once that you'd pay attention to the game, Master Bosatsu. _Honestly_- if you're going to ask me to play-"

"-But I _am_ watching the game." The hermaphroditic goddess mused, leaning over farther yet, focusing in on her  
favorite motley crew as they set up camp for a third evening in a row.

Cradling his face in one sinewy hand, the subsidiary god forced his tongue to stay in check.

"I meant _this_ game of course, Master Bosatsu. The one _we_ are playing. What are you laughing over now?"

Perplexion crossed his partially creased and aged face when the raven tressed bodhisattsva laughed once more in  
her husky tone.

"They never fail to provide a good show." She averted her attention from the lower world at last, pushing a game piece  
effortlessly into another square section.

"So you've said time and again." Jiroushin answered as he contemplated his next move.

"It's always true. See now-" Bangles of silver and gold clanged together in tinkling melodies as her forefinger  
protruded from her hand, gesturing for the clear waters of a lotus pond. Within the reflections a display of Togenkyou in real time  
flickered just beneath the depths as a film reel watched past a sheen of water.

When she had Jiroushin's attention, Kanzeon continued. "Konzen insisted that they travel without the girls because he's too  
damn stubborn to realize that they're very much needed for this mission. His crew, so to speak, reluctantly follows along, though are  
well aware that those same three young women are following them in their journey. Naturally my nephew will continue to ignore  
them and forbid the others to lift a single finger to help those girls, our elementals."

Jiroushin shrugged a shoulder, wishing that the goddess would either hurry up and bring the elementals into Tenkai  
or forget about it and complete their current game. "That's natural behavior for him. He's always been temperamental."

"Hai. Demo..." Deep blue-violet orbs narrowed as red lips curve upward. "He displays his own sort of kindness and  
compassion. Despite that he knows those girls are following, and that one of his companions is sharing their supplies with them, he  
doesn't do a thing to stop it from happening. He'll turn. He'll see soon."

"I hope so because it's becoming tiresome."

"Have patience Jiroushin." She smiled faintly and an undercurrent of glee laced her following words. "The tension  
is building between all seven of them- someone is bound to burst very soon."

"You can stop this now, you know?"

"Stop what?"

"All of their doubt. Awaken the Elementals fully, release their gifts, and then perhaps Konzen will at last relent-"

"-Oh. _Iie_." Kanzeon lifted a hand, cutting off her companion's spiel. "There is a reason why I can't do that. They  
must learn how to communicate and work together. This is no joy ride they're one. The final confrontation will take a flawless  
joint effort."

Jiroushin could hardly believe his ears. "Are you perfectly serious about that, Merciful Goddess?" He more than  
hoped that for once she wasn't in on this for her own personal pleasures.

His bubble burst when a wry expression flickered upon the other's face. "Why do you always take me so seriously? If  
anything, these four are far from perfect and our Elementals aren't quite yet there either. Besides, I couldn't do the work for them  
anyway, they really do have to come into their own. My hands are tied- we are only meant to watch, after all. Meddling is frowned  
upon unless absolutely necessary. Or you know, when I feel like it."

Elevating his eyebrows, the thin male god raised his chin. "So what of this final confrontation? Do you know what it will  
entail?"

"Of course not- I don't divulge the future." Kanzeon waved to the game board, reminding her opponent it was still his turn.  
"Call it intuition- the war is raging on and this situation may continue for years to come. Homura has not peeked from his dark  
shadows, though many of us are suspicious of his next moves. He's acting in secret and keeping everyone on their toes. It's so  
exciting and depending on what measures our boys take, this could take forever. That much will remain unclear- they are left to  
unfold and intertwine their own stories."

"You speak vaguely." Jiroushin grumbled, guiding another of his pieces into a diagonal square. "What then do you predict- if  
anything?"

"The Elemental Souls will awaken one by one and not all at once." Her reply came thoughtfully as she too contemplated her  
retaliating move. "I doubt it could happen all at once- they move at their own pace, and I already feel that the most brash of the  
elements has come full term."

"You can't mean..." Shock registered on the silver haired deity's narrow face.

Kanzeon nodded once, a manicured finger pushing a piece forward. "Hai. Fire. Huo Kumiko has kindled her flames and they'll  
burn brighter with each passing day."

"You don't seem worried."

"I'm not. I have no reason to be. She fell into the hands of the Bull Demon's son, Kougaiji. He can be fierce of course,  
though all the same I hardly think going against our missionaries is what he has in mind."

"So the others, then..?" Trailing off, Jiroushin slowly began to forget their game, taking longer this time to make a move.

"They'll awaken soon enough." Kanzeon reassured. "It takes a surge of emotion, belief in their gifts, and most importantly  
complete confidence in their heritage. They are well on their way...just a bit put off."

"Your former nephew is not helping matters by constantly denying them." He pointed out, grey-green eyes dancing up to  
discover a slightly annoyed visage set on his comrade.

Voice lowering in concentration, she rested the pad of one finger on a tile and expelled a long breath.

"Quite the contrary."

"I beg your pardon? Konzen is not exactly encouraging these women!"

"Iie. Which is going to continue to provoke them all and at least one of them is going to end up proving his negativity wrong."

"You aren't concerned that they'll never awaken?" Jiroushin's nerves jumbled, a knot formed tightly in his stomach. He never  
knew what to expect from the goddess when it came to that golden headed priest and his companions.

Indigo eyes retreated from the game board and steadily trained upon an endless azure horizon.

"I'm not. I have faith in these new travelers. Whether or not they admit to feeling it, there lies an unshakable bond which  
ties them tightly together. It will always be so- in the past, present, and future, no matter what time or realm the eight of them are  
destined to meet."

"_Eight!"_ The board rattled as Jiroushin's hand fell heavily upon the table. "The Elementals as well?"

An amused smile played over ruby red lips. "Calm down. Naturally all eight of them- or don't you recall their interactions  
when they were here, in Tenkai? Or perhaps you've already forgotten the young women who had already spent time in Togenkyou  
as well?"

Flabbergasted, the elderly god leaned forward, clearly showing more interest in this tidbit than with their match.

"I thought they'd only just arrived."

"Hai, in this life anyway."

"I don't understand. There you are, uttering riddles again."

Smirking mysteriously, Kanzeon pretended to study her fingernails. "How can you work with me for so long and still not  
have a clue? It must be a man thing."

"Might I remind you that you're not completely my opposite!" Jiroushin sputtered.

"You have reminded me- just now- and allow me to remind _you_ that I am still _more_ of the opposite than you are. Ah- I win."

Scowling, he nosed the air, trying to spare her from the glare of his eyes. "Must you be so childish, Merciful Goddess?"

"The game, you half-wit." Kanzeon chuckled, gesturing toward the game board, having made her final and winning move.

All indignance washing away, the subsidiary god smiled sheepishly. "Ah. I see. Well, no difference than usual, hm? So, as  
you were saying of their intertwining fates and destiny..?"

"You must consider that time moves differently between this world and the next. It constantly changes which makes it  
impossible to measure a true and consistent gap. Our boys were gone for a month of our time, though from what I've overheard,  
no more than fourteen days in the other world. Yet now there is only a difference of minutes between the two if I were to look."

"So then it varies?"

"From seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years." Kanzeon confirmed.

"Then you're inferring that they have all met once before in the lower world?"

Another secretive curve of her mouth came as a response. "Indeed. Though just as the time flow of two worlds  
differentiates, so does the duration of their meetings. Some for days, or weeks or months...even to as little as mere minutes.  
And yet..."

Grey orbs followed the goddess' rising figure, hanging onto every word.

"Yet?"

Kanzeon's back met his eyes, speaking without looking at him.

"Yet it all played an important role of shaping who that misfit group have all become. No matter how small the part, the  
impact remains great."

"Who were they? After being Elementals, where did those souls go?"

"Oh." This time she did glance over her shoulder and solemnity crossed sharp androgynous features. "They are always with  
the potential of awakening their natural born souls. It has and always will be a matter of 'do we need them yet'?"

"They have died and been reincarnated more than once? Nande? Why not allow them the bodies which had lived in the  
lower world in the first place, if not that long ago?"

Sadness and sympathy crept into deep tempest depths as her figure wandered down from a pathway. Had that been the  
way, then Togenkyou would not have stood a chance.

"The system is flawed. Reincarnation is not perfect- far from it. To protect the essance of the Elemental Souls their hosts  
must be strong, and even so...sometimes the game of Fate deals out a bad hand."

* * *

**India- Houtou Castle**

Yaone peered into the chambers of her master before knocking upon the open door frame. She'd been summoned to  
Kougaiji's quarters moments ago, Lirin having been sent as the messenger before the younger youkai girl had bound away to play  
with the dragons.

The apothecary didn't doubt this request would be part of a meeting- a plan on how to disrupt Koushu's illegitimate rule.

Shockingly, though Yaone, Kougaiji, and their new Flame Elemental had returned from the forest some time before, Koushu  
nor Nii Jenyi had made a single move to obtain Huo Kumiko.

Suspicions were arising in the youkai prince's mind. Yaone had mentioned it before to Dokugakuji and vice versa that their  
leader's eyes read of troubled things lately. Somehow the presence of his trump card had done very little in lifting the weights of his  
trying ordeal.

Despite the seeming lack of interest in Lady Koushu's part, Kumiko remained under lock and key, guarded in her own room  
when not with Kougaiji, Yaone, or Dokugakuji. They wouldn't risk losing their best chance at thwarting the evil mistress' ploys to  
take over everything.

Finding her voice, the young woman rapped again on the frame, clearing her throat to speak in her usual soft manner.

"Kougaiji-sama? You sent Lady Lirin for me?"

Turning away from a long picture window, the crimson haired youkai prince offered a ghostly smile to his faithful apothecary. She lifted his spirits even in his darkest moments, but he had never brought himself to say so.

He didn't know if he even could.

"_Hai._ Come sit down with the rest of us."

A long-fingered hand motioned for her to come in farther and when she did, Yaone realized that she was not alone with Kou.

Dokugakuji stood beside a cushy blood-red satin armchair which was occupied by the Fire Elemental.

Kumiko smiled thinly as well when Yaone stepped in and shut the door when told to do so.

"Hey, Yaone."

The buxom youkai woman returned the greeting, nodding her head politely as she moved to stand on the other side of the  
armchair. Her tangerine orbs flickered back upon her master with curiosity reading deep within them.

"Have you reached a decision on what we're going to do, Kougaiji-sama?"

"I think so." Slitted purple pools danced toward his loyal comrades, a thoughtful curl wrought upon the handsome youkai  
man's mouth. "And I'm going to especially need your help, Yaone, if you're up to the task."

Yaone conceded, she wouldn't have dreamed of doing otherwise, although a fleeting recollection of her role in Kougaiji's  
last plan caused a shudder to wrack her slender shoulders.

Laughing, Dokugakuji's large hand splayed over the dark haired girl's back. "Don't worry, I don't think this has anything to  
do with charming the pants off that bastard Nii Jenyi."

"I did not charm the pants off of him. That would have been going too far, and that's disgusting." Yaone replied haughtily,  
silently admitting to herself though if that's what it would have taken, she probably would have done it.

All in the name of loyalty to her poor, depressed, anguished prince.

Huo Kumiko- formerly known as Erin Royce- raised her pointed chin, rolling her blue enflamed eyes back. "I have to agree.  
Nii's a sick bastard, I wouldn't wanna even think about coming onto that asshole unless it was for a really good cause. Even then,  
I'd have to really, really think it over. Anyway, ya don't have to put up with him...but your part is just as important."

"May I tell her?" Kougaiji's tone held a bit of warning to it, silencing the young woman. She truly lived up to her title, being  
a spitfire through and through, wanting to jump the gun and dive headlong into trouble.

He admired her burning passion to help where she could though wondered if in the end he'd be able to hold onto the reigns  
of control without everything blowing up in his face.

Kumiko shrugged, settling back in her seat, looking positively bored. Being cooped up in the castle, confined to her room or  
Kou's room, wasn't doing too much in keeping her entertained. She understood just fine the importance of staying away from the  
grubby hands of Koushu and her minions, but without much action taking place, she grew antsy over the past few days.

Really antsy.

There wasn't much stopping her from torching the door that blocked her from freedom- from just going down to the throne  
and knocking off the so-called "Jade Princess" once and for all.

Not much except that she'd promised to behave.

Behaving was getting boring, and while the goddess still had every sense of her previous mortal self, both Erin and Kumiko  
were craving something on the wild side.

That apparently came with the territory of being Fire.

Satisfied that he'd be allowed to speak, Kougaiji turned back to the windows, his words deliberated as he divulged the plan.

"I want to do this as discreetly as possible. In the past I've rarely thought twice about my actions and the consequences,  
but it's been brought to my attention that barreling our way through is not going to work here."

Dokugakuji grinned meaningfully at Yaone and Kumiko. Yes, that had been him. He wasn't one to question their leader's  
intuitions, but Kougaiji was known for being gung-ho in testy situations.

This time, no chances should be made.

They couldn't afford letting technology and black magic win.

Kougaiji glanced back at the three and immediately the brawny black haired youkai wiped his smug grin away.

"Why discreetly? I can take care of everyone, I bet." Kumiko arched an eyebrow and snapped her fingers, a spire of flame  
ascending from their tips. "Just say the word and they'll go up in smoke, no problem."

"Do you really have such an ardent amount of control over your gifts already?" Yaone inquired gently, turning her vermilion  
gaze upon the young goddess. "We're not sure how long that spirit has been asleep, but you've only awakened as Huo Kumiko a  
little over a week ago. Doesn't it take time?"

"She's right, Kumiko. _Gomen, demo_...even if you're confident in your abilities, I don't want to chance it. Please understand."  
Kougaiji gazed at the deity apologetically, not wanting to anger or offend her.

She set her jaw but let it roll off her back. "That makes sense. Okay, so quietly, go on with the plan, boss." Winking an icy  
blue and orange flickering orb at him, Kumiko blew out the fire dancing harmlessly over her fingertips.

"Lady Koushu has a great number of guards and servants surrounding her at almost any given time. Nii Jenyi has his own  
ways of monitoring the corridors- his technology, his computers, they can see everything and anything without us knowing. To reach  
Koushu those obstacles must be obliterated." Kougaiji brought his hands together, lowering his head in thought and then raised his  
vibrant violets to the apothecary.

She refrained from cringing. Hadn't they already said she didn't have the deal with that insane scientist?

"Yaone."

"_Hai, _my lord?"

"Your sleeping potion- is there a way to brew it stronger?"

"Stronger how?" Puzzled, Yaone canted her head to one side, long twin ponytails swaying at the motion.

"It only lasts for an hour or so, am I right?" Kougaiji asked and she confirmed with a nod. "Can you make it last longer? For  
instance- four hours? I want to be sure we won't have to deal with any interruptions. It'll make it easier for Kumiko to concentrate."

Mulling over her choices, the young pharmacist nodded slowly though with an uncertainty. "It can be done, but it will take  
double the time, if not triple, to prepare. A normal sleeping powder potion is brought to full potency in just less than twenty-four  
hours. Raising the potency levels..."

"Three days? Is that enough time?" Kumiko inquired, standing away from her seat, eyes wide. Her body literally ached for  
their plan to follow through, fingers itched for the day she'd help bring back what rightfully belonged to Kougaiji.

In the other world, Erin and her friends despised what traumas each of Kougaiji's party had gone through, just as much as  
they felt for the Sanzo-ikkou. Kougaiji was not the real villain. He truly was misunderstood. A puppet constantly toyed with in  
Koushu's wicked play.

Now with the gift of fire manifestation and manipulation, an array of possibilities opened up in awakening Kumiko's soul  
within herself.

She was more than ready to help, to be as loyal to Kougaiji as his other followers had been all this time.

Yaone caught the eagerness for a skirmish in the goddess' face and pushing aside uneasiness, she replied.

"Three days would be the maximum I suppose. I can't push the process any faster, Kougaiji-sama."

"We can wait. We'll just exercise caution some more, is all." The prince smiled briefly to her. "Before using the powder on  
the guards, however, Dokugakuji's role will come first. I don't want there to be any way that Koushu is forewarned of this."

"I'll take care of Nii, Kou, don't sweat it."

"Good." For a time, as he explained how everything would be set in motion, Kougaiji's burdens seemed to lift from his  
shoulders an inch or two. Though he didn't want to count chickens before they hatched, he could hardly wait for the day when  
everything would happen- for the day he could breathe easily once more.

**Houtou Castle- Laboratory**

"What are you watching?" Dr. Huang's cold voice rang out from behind her hated coworker as he swiveled about in his chair  
before his computer monitor.

A greyscale picture filtered in on the screen, disrupted every few seconds by delay or static, and depicted a live video feed  
of Kougaiji and his companions.

Dr. Nii Jenyi raised hard cobalt eyes to his female counterpart, voice lilting with every bit of smugness he could muster.

"What does it look like, dear Doctor? Hmm? It's obvious enough isn't it?"

Huffing, the slim scientist folded her arms and avoided rolling her eyes. "Don't patronize me, Nii, I'm not in the mood."

"Oh? It's not that time of the month again already, is it? I'm afraid that isn't normal, you ought to see someone about your  
problem..."

He giggled and somewhere in the background Professor Wang cackled in his bone-chilling manner.

Eliciting a warning growl, Huang narrowed her eyes more, assessing the monitor and sighed. "They have the Elemental with  
them...I wouldn't doubt it if they're convening to plot something."

"Oh you could be onto something, dear doctor." Nii straightened his form though made no bother at smoothing down his  
wrinkled attire. "Lady Lirin, unfortunately, quite by mistake killed the audio line I had...so your guess is as good as mine this time.  
However...it looks as though our prince is raising the avatar well, hmm? She grows stronger in each passing moment."

Huang could guess that whatever receptor the slimeball was using, it was mobile and could follow any given subject with  
the push of a button. What really gave her the creeps was that she wouldn't put it past him to have used it in her own quarters.

"So tell me Nii..."

"..hmm?" He pushed back in his chair, circling it so as to face her. Light refracted from his lenses, obscuring his disturbing  
gaze.

For this, she was glad not to have to meet his eyes.

"What's stopping us from using Huo Kumiko to Lady Koushu's advantage?"

"Oh...it's simple. You mean you haven't figured that out yet? My, my...behind again, aren't we?" He smirked, stroking the  
ears of his white bunny doll affectionately. "Never mind that. I suppose we can tell her, hmm? What do you think?"

He held up the bunny doll, preparing for his infamous ventriloquist act. The female doctor gritted her teeth as he  
manipulated the white bunny into nodding it's stuffed head.

Sometimes she wondered if Nii's head wasn't full of stuffing as well.

Raising his voice a few octaves, he spoke through the rabbit.

"_Hai,_ let's say what's what. The Elemental is bound for now to our darling prince...see?"

"Go on."

"We run to Lady Koushu first and she'll be warned that he's up to no good...the tables will turn...if our prince is detained..."

"I see where you're going with this." Huang murmured, turning back toward her own console. "If Kougaiji and his friends are  
unable to do whatever it is they're planning on using the Elemental for, she'll be a free agent...We can snag her up."

"Bingo!" Nii lowered the doll, smirking as his chair swung back to his computer. Kumiko was being directed back into her  
quarters where she'd be guarded by the few youkai that still lay their loyalties with Kougaiji.

Rather, those few youkai who Koushu cared less about and let her plaything have to himself.

Chuckling low, Dr. Nii punched in a few key strokes, shutting off the video feed from Kougaiji's wing of the castle, switching  
it over to a new room.

As Huang returned to her work, she glanced out of the corner of her eye. "Now what are you watching?"

A devilish smirk smeared its way over the unruly doctor's thin lips as he rested a palm to his stubbled chin. "...my favorite  
show is on...hmm...Lady Koushu is quite the star, don't you agree?"

More than thoroughly disgusted, Huang snorted, muttering under her breath, leaving him to his own perverted devices.


	6. Generosity

**Chapter Six**

**Generosity**

The strong rays of a high noon sun mercilessly beat down upon two sets of travelers headed West on the road to India. An olive-drab Jeep led the way to the next town; the three young women mounted on two mares and a mule diligently followed.

Three days had passed since the trio of girls had escaped the town of Reimeiki only moments before the infamous Sanzo-ikkou had the same brilliant idea to give up fighting and run. Unfortunately for Katie, Mandi, and Ashley, their sudden departure and three days spent trotting across rough terrain had left them worse for wear. What provisions they had been able to purchase in Reimeiki had already dwindled down to nothing but a stale pack of odd tasting crackers, which no one cared to eat unless their hunger pangs became too much to deal with. Water had filled their canteens earlier on the third morning from a spring which had long since disappeared, though even that source ran dangerously low.

Every now and again, one of the girls would spot some kind of food wrapper tumbling about in the Jeep's wake causing all three to put on soured expressions. Goku most likely was trying to go through as much as he could just for an excuse to get double the supplies in the next town. If not for that explanation, and if they hadn't known better, the young women might have believed it was Sanzo's work, rubbing in their lack of foodstuffs.

While the idea of the blond priest deliberately gathering up his companions' trash and evilly dropping it over the side of the vehicle brought entertaining images to mind, the girls knew he wasn't quite _that_ cruel.

Genjyo Sanzo had stuck by his statement made in the youkai refuge town; the girls, whom he now saw as much as his bane as perhaps Gojyo or Goku, had indeed found their own transportation to continue heading west. He did not go back on his word and in no way had outwardly tried to hinder them from doing so. At the same time, he did not go out of his way to lend a hand, mainly because of his strangely strong dislike for them, but also because it just wasn't his style to blatantly show concern for others.

What Sanzo frowned upon most, though, was if any of his companions decided to help the alleged 'Elementals'- especially one Cho Hakkai.

- - - -_ The night before found Hakkai slipping away from camp carrying an armload of covered tin plates twenty feet or so to the pitiful campfire struggling to stay lit. He'd discovered Katie, Mandi, and Ashley huddled about, trying to keep warm about the small flames, and passing around a cellophane packet of wasabi crackers. At first, none had noticed him standing nearby, watching them with such utter disbelief written on his face. _

_Truth be told, the way they had looked to him then reminded him greatly of the few homeless people who used to loiter on the streets after nightfall, huddling about garbage cans put out by local residents. His heart went out to them. _

_Clearing his throat, the young man smiled warmly and approached once he had the girls' attention. At first, they declined his offer for food, but he pressed on, urging them to eat just a few bites._

_When Katie's stomach growled loudly, betraying her hunger, Hakkai couldn't help the triumphantly smug grin from curling his mouth. _

_He had sat with them as they ate, stoking their pitfire higher and making feeble attempts at conversation. While at times Mandi seemed to get the gist of what he said, or all three would catch a word here or there, it was still clear that they didn't comprehend his words._

_A half an hour later, when the girls had eaten their fill and returned the dishes to Hakkai, thanking him, he slunk back to his own camp. _

_Though Gojyo and Goku were sound asleep inside of the tent, Sanzo stepped out to enjoy an evening smoke, inadvertently catching their fourth member making the short trek back._

_"I see you couldn't ignore being the good Samaritan."_

_Hakkai knelt fireside and set down the dishes to hang a stew pot over the flames and poured water in for heating. "They were hungry, Sanzo, of course I couldn't ignore that, it isn't right."_

_"So let them learn to feed themselves without dipping into **our** supplies." The monk grumbled around his lit Marlboro Red, a dark scowl shadowing his features._

_Turning his nose up indignantly, the brunette youkai pitched his defense. "Maybe I ought to remind you that they have absolutely nothing. No food. No extra clothing. No blankets. Not to mention, they have no money. We had plenty of supper left over and with town so close by, I gave it to them. We certainly don't need it."_

_"Humph." Sanzo glared down his nose, choosing to neglect the voice inside telling him to ease up. "So you gave them our leftovers? Let me remind you that it isn't my fault, or anyone else's, that they don't have proper accommodations. Nobody twisted their arms to come here so it's just their bad luck."_

_Hakkai's countenance grew dismal. "Iie. Nobody forced them to come here, you're right, demo, they are doing what they think is right. The great Kannon called upon them, and they are answering." He paused to test the temperature of the water before starting to dip the dishes in. "In all fairness, we owe them much more than just left over scraps from supper. I'm finding it difficult to understand you lately, my friend. Despite your withdrawn nature, I had always entertained the idea that perhaps you are more fair and more generous a person than you willingly let on."_

_Crushing his cigarette butt beneath his sandal, Sanzo folded his arms securely over his chest. _

_"Then maybe you don't know me as well as you like to think, Hakkai. You'd better tweak your observational skills just a tad. I'm going to bed."_

_Disappointed as the monk turned, ending the discussion, Hakkai bent his head, scrubbing the dishes with more vigor than neccessary._

_"I suppose that's true. Oyasumi nasai, Sanzo." - - - - -_

That had not been the first time trying to reason with Sanzo, though Hakkai decided that evening to make it his last. If, by that time, the so-called 'holy man' chose not to hear his three companions' pleads, then he'd not choose to hear them any time at all.

Gojyo and Goku had set their minds on Sanzo being completely in the wrong. Everyone was accustomed to his perpetual moodiness, though it was inconceivable what heartlessness he displayed toward the girls. Even some of their enemies had gotten nicer treatment before getting annihilated.

The hanyou had earlier joked that Sanzo only behaved as he did because the Elementals were girls- and he feared women because the one vice he had not buckled to was sex.

A cheesed off monk promptly swatted the kappa with his harisen and told him there were more vices than sex he hadn't given into- one being he hadn't killed any of his partners, but Gojyo could be the first if he was so inclined to keep opening his mouth with such remarks.

On the other hand, Hakkai discovered himself understanding where Sanzo's attitude toward the young women possibly came from. At least, he had gone over the theories several times before in his head and one seemed to make the most sense. Thinking upon it again, he made a mental note to bring it up to Gojyo and Goku; maybe it would get them to ease up on teasing the monk so much and consequently get Sanzo to ease up on shooting his gun off and abusing them.

During their time spent in the alternate world, as well as in a completely different country, the bodhisatsva Kanzeon Bosatsu had granted her 'boys' the ability to speak a new language.

It'd been a neccessary move since the need of an ancient and great power was required, and she wanted them to find it immediately. Hakkai supposed that if they hadn't been able to speak the English language, they'd still be stuck in America seeking out those girls, or worse, probably dead or incarcerated.

While the goddess had also modernized Hakuryuu into a Jeep fashionable of the time, as well as taking away their youkai power limiters and stopping their vehicle from transforming into a creature that ought not exist, she had done little else to aid them.

Their reliance rested upon the hands of the girls, who had shown a great passion for guiding them through the short time spent together in the alternate plane. Although they had been found rather quickly, Sanzo's dubiousness seemed to prolong the journey back to Shangri'la.

At the convention, it had been first Kougaiji and Yaone's appearances and intentions on kidnapping Erin that had tore open the window between both worlds. Hakkai, Gojyo, and Goku had always believed that the young women were indeed the Elemental hosts they'd sought, however, upon that occurence, they found it difficult to believe Sanzo could remain so skeptical.

When the fourth girl had been successfully apprehended, a new portal had broke through and Kanzeon's form and voice spoke to them all. She reprimanded the priest for his mistrust that he had indeed come across the Elemental hosts and must have either pulled the girls through after the four men had gone, or invited them.

Hakkai hardly liked to think that the young women would have turned down an extended invitation, especially with their friend having been taken, though he wouldn't have put it past Kanzeon to simply pluck them up without permission either.

Once the misfit group returned to their own world, Sanzo had wiped his hands clean of their previous endeavor.

He had told them he'd rather think of it as never happening and simply get back to the more important mission, to their journey in retrieving the sutras and preventing the revival of Gyumaoh.

Everything had gone back to normal- Hakuryuu could transform, the young men spoke their own language, and the youkai abilities and limiters had been restored. Sanzo had been content until the quartet heard the sounds of a skirmish coming from not terribly far away.

It'd been discovered then that the girls had followed them through the portal and were fending off demons with the best of their abilities. Nobody seemed to notice until after the fact that Katie, Mandi, and Ashley had a great disadvantage on their hands. Being unable to speak the language native to those in Shangri'la, they'd be lost without someone's help; someone who already _knew_ them.

The idea had struck Hakkai that returning to a natural state had no business with the young women. Perhaps as Elemental Goddesses they should speak the same as everyone else, but their rebirths into a different world, a different country, had only granted them the gift of speaking the language common to themselves.

They couldn't revert to a natural state because they were _already there._

Kanzeon called for the Elementals, however her last encounter with them was days ago. The goddess had yet to come for them and if Hakkai wagered an educated guess, he'd suppose that the deity was testing them; _all of them_, and waited for results before staking her claim.

Clearly, any hint of special gifts with the elements had yet to show, which most likely would frustrate anyone, if the girls hadn't been frustrated enough already.

The powers promised to them upon reaching Shangri'la hadn't even come into fruition, thus creating a problem in being able to progress into any sort of celestial being.

Upon thinking of this, Hakkai recognized Sanzo's standpoint. Katie, Mandi, and Ashley must come into their own, according to Kanzeon, for since when did any of the gods move mountains in order to help the people of the lower world? Everyone was a puppet in their hands unless they could be found useful, and even then, none of the gods stepped in unless it became extremely imperative.

If the girls couldn't even forage for their own food, how did they expect to have strength and will enough to help an entire world full of dilemmas?

Moreso, Genjyo Sanzo placed no faith or immanent beliefs in any deity, let alone the Buddha his own order stood under. He viewed the heavens, the gods, as nothing more than spectators of their own twisted games, and his reasons for doing the bidding of the Sanbutsushin rested solely upon personal reasons. His job, his title, his mission all fell under Sanzo's respect and undying loyalties to his father figure, his late Master Koumyou Sanzo.

Why place any sort of belief in these girls when they were to ultimately become the very sort of beings he distrusted and abhorred?

In addition, the monk despised relying on anybody but himself. Hakkai speculated that perhaps it was the fact that while in the alternative world, the girls had gone out of their way to aid the Sanzo-ikkou. The monk must have taken great offense to his inability to complete anything without their stepping in and helping.

Aside from all his reasoning, Hakkai doubted that it was solid ground to allow anyone to starve or suffer from lack of basic human needs.

The girls seemed so helpless in his eyes, though, with a soft chuckle to himself, he would never dare say so to their faces, even if they couldn't understand him.

Glancing into the rearview mirror, emerald orbs peered past the slumbering hanyou and heretic occupying the back seat, and checked upon their tailgaters. Content that he could still see three young women atop three equine animals following behind, Hakkai smiled and tried for some light conversation.

"_I'm sure that you're enjoying this peace and quiet, eh Sanzo?"_

Coming out of his own reverie, Sanzo snorted softly and kept his head bowed. "_I'd like to keep on enjoying it. Too bad I can still hear hooves over Goku's obnoxious snoring."_

_"Sanzo..."_ Dark eyebrows knitted together as Hakkai's tone became gently defensive.

_"Just drive, Hakkai. I don't care to get into a discussion right now."_

_"Yes sir."_

So much for conversation, the brunette man sighed inwardly, quickly checking the map. If it read correctly, then the next town would come up soon, though the four had enough experiences in towns not turning up where they were supposed to, if they turned up at all. It seemed the farther West they traveled, the more arduous their mission became, and the more youkai popped up expectedly unexpected.

At least, in the next town, he prayed, the girls would have some luck in gathering more supplies, though he wondered how they'd go about it. With Sanzo's forbiddance to help, and the lack of finances amongst the three girls, he supposed they would have to either steal or continue going on nothing. Neither choice soothed Hakkai's worries and he did not think that sneaking each girl into a room would work twice. Going behind Sanzo's back wasn't a favorable choice, anyhow.

Suppressing another sigh to hide his preoccupation, Hakkai gripped the steering wheel hard enough to make his knuckles go white and the action elicited a sharp chirrup of complaint from beneath the hood. Loosening his grip, the young man apologized absently to his pet-turned-transport, though it'd been enough to draw Sanzo's attention.

Violet eyes slid to the right toward the driver. _"I think we can stand going faster than we are, Hakkai. I'd like to reach the next town sometime before sundown, and I'd like to get to India before I'm too decrepit to complete this mission."_

Setting his jaw, Hakkai stared ahead and reluctantly conceded, asking Hakuryuu to accelerate. He didn't say so, but it had been Goku's brilliant idea to drive at a slower pace just to ensure that the young women didn't push their animals too hard just to keep up.

Sanzo had held his tongue on the fact that he indeed had suspicions as to why they were paced so slowly, especially when their next destination should have been reached in the prior evening. His patience, however, had depleted, and his back agreed that he was tired of sleeping on the ground in a tent.

Plastering smile in place, the young driver silently apologized to the vanishing reflections of the girls in his rearview mirror, hoping that they would reach town safely without the Jeep to guide them.

"I think we're going backwards!" Mandi leaned forward in her saddle atop Cosa, a bewildered expression crossing over her freshly sun-tanned face.

Three days of riding out in the open with hardly any clouds to cover the sun had given all three girls a splash of color, though not without burning their skin first. Fortunately, the red had quickly transgressed to three even tans, dispelling their discomfort.

Ashley shifted on the bare backed mule, rewinding the halter lead rope comfortably in her hand in order to regain control. "It would seem that way."

Slate blue eyes slanted in suspicion as Katie spoke haughtily, gripping the reins and saddle horn in agitation.

"Hakkai is speeding up! Why are they going faster? I don't see a town- do you see a town?"

Mandi shook her head slowly, gazing up ahead, past the jeep to the flat horizon. "No, I don't see a town. I just think they're going faster for...whatever reason."

The eldest of them suddenly seemed positively annoyed. "_Why?_ What's wrong with how they were going before? We're going to lose them if they keep this up, and we can't push the animals harder. They'll overheat!"

"Calm down and think on it before you jump to any conclusions; maybe you'll come up with the answer." Ashley slid her hazel eyes to Katie's direction before squinting against sunlight to gaze up ahead. "Though if you asked me, I'd say it's because they're behind schedule."

"They're_always_ behind schedule, so what difference does it make if they wait for us?" Katie rolled her eyes impatiently, shifting in her saddle upon Rose.

The dark haired girl shrugged a shoulder, as though the answer to the question ought to be obvious.

"Consider their mission, Katie. It's not like any of _us_ know when Gyumaoh's resurrection will happen, or that any of us know how much Nii's think he wants to slow down because reaching Houtou is his main goal." She paused to shake her hair from her honey-almond eyes. "We're further down his list, _if_ we're even on that list at all."

"If they are behind schedule, then that's all the more reason for Sanzo to want Hakkai to speed up, even if it means losing us in the process." Ashley added, finding a great deal of sense in Mandi's theory.

Katie clenched her jaw tightly, urging her Standardbred mare faster in spite of her own opposition of pushing the animals.

"So sorry that I'm not as logical as you two." She muttered before releasing a frustrated growl. "Grr, what an _asshole_ though! Goddamnit, he's being so unfair to us!"

Mandi frowned, able to see both takes on the matter. "He's unfair depending on how you look at it, I guess. He did what he was supposed to do as far as we're concerned; Kanzeon didn't tell him to baby-sit us, just to find us- Katie, slow down!" She shouted after the other, lighter-haired brunette, as Rose sped up ahead.

The youngest called after the twenty-two year old as well, concern wrought in her voice. "Katie, you really shouldn't push her! You said so yourself that they'd overheat and now you're contradicting it! Katie!"

Flashing a narrowed gaze back at her two companions, Katie huffed at being told what to do, though eventually eased up Rose's pace.

"We're going to get lost."

"It's fine," Mandi began though Ashley intervened.

"It's fine that we'll get lost?"

One dark eyebrow elevated. "If you'd have let me finish..." Flitting her gaze to Katie, she continued. "Relax, all right? There's no need for you to let your anger at Sanzo override common sense, especially when these are the only rides we have to reach India. I _do _still have that marked up map that Hakkai gave to us. If they get too far ahead then it shouldn't be hard to find our way."

Another cynical glare set upon the oldest girl's face. "Yeah, but since when are _you_ an expert at reading maps, Mandi? Foreign maps on top of that- it's not even in English."

Mandi inhaled sharply. "I'm not an idiot, thank you very much, and even if it's not in English, I've figured out where we're headed."

"I didn't say you were an idiot." Katie defended, her back straightening as her irritation grew. "And I think we _all_ know where we're going. West."

Bristling, Mandi gritted her teeth to control a temper which wanted badly to fly off the handle. "I could do without the sarcasm, you know. I _meant_ that I know where we are going according to the _map_. I'm not so blind to see that the sun sets in the west, that we're always headed towards it, and let's not forget that they mentioned it several times per episode in the anime."

At the shrill sound of the last words spoken, Ashley interceded before things became too much more heated. "That is enough you two! This is bad enough without having to argue all along the way."

"Sorry..." The second youngest murmured, calming the limbs which always seemed to tremble any time she prepared herself to launch into a shouting match. It was only part of the reason why she avoided them so much. Nevertheless, Mandi stole a meaningful glance at Katie. "But she started it."

Katie only replied by jutting her tongue out of her mouth at the brunette girl before facing forward again, a pouty mask set over her face.

She thought there was a good excuse for behaving so cantankerous: nothing to eat, not one good night's sleep in three days, and scarcely any water whilst riding under a broiling sun had effortlessly placed her in the worst of moods. She didn't care who she snapped at; complaining and putting on childish airs were the least of her worries.

Even so, she didn't have any room to berate her companions for acting so custodial in return- they were all traveling with empty stomaches, all suffering from heat exhaustion, and it had become embarrassingly noticeable that they all needed showers.

Having calmed herself down after fifteen minutes of quiet deliberation, Katie prompted Mandi with a question.

"So then Miss Map Reader..."

"I prefer the term 'Navigator', but yes?" Mandi answered coolly, not having taken her eyes from the rocky horizon.

Ashley grimaced, prospecting that another argument would ensue, and she certainly didn't want to play referee again. Her breath released when nothing of the sort happened.

"Fine then, Miss Navigator. How much longer do you think it'll be,according to the map?"

Curving the corners of her mouth up into a ghost of a smile, Mandi gestured ahead to a large land formation jutting from the ground in the North-west. "See that plateau? The town is supposed to be set around there. Judging from our distance, and if we can make it a straight shot from here, I'd say anywhere between half an hour and forty-five minutes."

"Maybe an hour, tops?" Ashley spoke, urging the mule to pace between the pair of girls just in case one decided to instigate a 'discussion' out of boredom's sake. While she wouldn't always compare them, the blond haired woman decided she was getting a taste of Sanzo's feelings toward Gojyo and Goku when they fought constantly in the jeep.

"Sounds about right, and I can hardly wait. I can't feel my ass anymore." Mandi mused, squirming a bit in place.

"What'll we do when we get there?" Katie queried, a light frown touching her lips.

Ash's face took on the same look. "We're out of money..."

When none of them came up with an answer, they decided to work out the why's and how's when that bridge popped up to be crossed.

Shin'yoo Mannaka ni Machi 

Just as Ashley predicted, the outskirts of town greeted the young women in an estimated hour and fifteen minutes. It might have been reached sooner, if not for the several, unexpected detours made in order to avoid crossing over extremely rough territory.

Slowing the paces of their mounts as three quads of hooves touched soft green grass, the trio studied their new surroundings.

The plateau rose into an indistinguishable height, shading out the more offensive rays of sunlight, offering a bit of reprieve from the heat. A single house stood some ten yards ahead, beside a trisection of actual paved roads which led right, toward town, left, toward more homes, and straight down the middle. It was the middle road which made all three riders do a double-take, for somehow the gigantic rock formation had split in half at the bottom, connecting into a high arched tunnel forty feet or so up, and a third road had been laid down as a shortcut from one side to the other.

It was through the tunnel that the other side could be seen, and glints of sunlight blinked through.

"That is...so freaking cool..." Mandi whispered, vocalizing what the other two had kept to themselves.

"It's amazing," Katie finally offered in the same hushed tone.

"Yep..." Ashley felt no need to agree in further description when the sight spoke for itself.

Spending a few moments more in awe of their new destination, the girls at last dismounted to give their derrieres a break, stretching out their legs, backs, and arms. While Ashley and Katie had more experience of riding beneath their belts, Mandi remained something of a greenhorn and winced at nearly every step taken closer to the three roads.

"You all right there?" Ashley couldn't help but smirk in some amusement.

"Saddle-sore." Mandi's reply sounded as pained and forced as her moving feet.

Katie chuckled smugly. "It'll wear off eventually, and you'll get used to it. Ash and I have done this a lot longer than you have, so it doesn't bother us much anymore."

Honey colored eyes narrowed and the younger girl replied sardonically. "Well pardon me for being city born and raised without stables around ever corner for me to get those buns of steel."

"I'm just saying." The oldest chuckled beneath her breath.

"Teasing aside," a third voice chimed in- Ashley, who once again found itessential to interrupt. "I'm just wondering how this is even here."

"What?" Speaking simultaneously, the other two watched her hand waving about in generalization.

"This. It doesn't make sense. Plateaus belong in the desert, and we were riding over rocks and fields just a second ago. Not to mention there are stacks of firewood outside of this house, but do you see any trees? _And_ all of the grass here is a lot greener than what we were just on, but I don't see a stream anywhere."

"Huh..." Mandi canted her head, making an assessment. "There _aren't_ any trees. Maybe they do trading with a nearby town? Or maybe there's a forest on the other side of the plateau? Though that wouldn't account for why the hell the plateau is here, next to a forest."

"The water could be underground." Katie suggested, though she thought everything else just as strange. "Or maybe they get a lot of rain in this particular area. We haven't seen the whole town yet, so there could be a couple of wells dug up somewhere."

"Maybe." Though she refrained from saying so, the tawny-haired young woman was wary of any town they would come across in the future, present one included. After Reimeiki, Ashley didn't place any trust in anywhere being demon-free.

Catching the unease on her younger comrade's face, the brunette beamed with a suggestion. "Hey, just remember where we are. More or less, we're in some made up anime world, in a different plane of existence, and not everything is going to make sense, which leads me to wonder..."

"Wonder what?" Blue eyes darted in Mandi's direction.

"If people where we came from are going to be watching us on the next volumes of Saiyuki, or if the shows will go on as the creator planned, but everything here will be different from it."

"I don't even want to think about people watching us." Ashley shuddered, stopping her feet at the trisecting roads. "Now what?"

"Maybe towards town to try and find something to eat and a place to stay? Though I have to wonder how we'll pull that off without any money." Mandi sighed.

Katie groaned lightly at a hunger pang in her stomach. "This sucks. I'm starving and now we have to figure out how to get something to eat. Got anymore of those crackers left?"

"We ate the rest two hours ago," Ashley replied and then shook her head. "There has to be a way. What did the Sanzo party do in the anime to get free food and a room for the night?"

Laughing lightly, Mandi answered. "Maybe we could rescue someone from a band of youkai and they'd be in our debt."

"Then who's going to rescue us?" Katie retorted, smirking. "I don't think we're quite ready for the hero business yet."

Pouting and kicking at the ground some, the brunette muttered. "We would be if we had our elemental powers. We'd kick their butts all over the place."

"Well that's out too." Fiddling with the lead rope in one hand, Ashley stroked the mule's muzzle as she thought. "I wonder if we can't exchange work for a place to stay and a meal."

"Do you think there's a department store, or maybe banks somewhere?" Mandi asked hopefully, perking up a bit.

"Well, Sanzo has an ATM card, so there must be a bank somewhere, but I don't know about having one here."

"This figures," Katie harrumphed good-naturedly. "We come here to get away from our boring lives and have to get jobs. Hey, look, a kid." She pointed with her free hand at a young boy around ten or eleven years old, struggling with an armload of the firewood stacked up beside the lone house. "Hey, you-- you'll hurt yourself, that's too much. Ashley, hold this." She shoved Rose's reins into the other girl's hand before approaching the boy.

Touching a hand to his shoulder, she spoke again. "Hey kid, you'll give yourself a hernia trying to carry that much."

"What's she doing?" Ashley lifted her eyebrows, glancing at her remaining companion.

"Helping? That poor kid isn't going to understand a damn word she says, though." Mandi watched on curiously all the same.

Turning so suddenly at the unfamiliar voice and touch, the young boy lost a few pieces of his load and gazed up in confusion at Katie.

_"Oh. I didn't see you there, miss. Can I help you?" _ As rude as it was to stare, so he'd been taught, the kid couldn't keep his mud brown eyes from taking in her strange attire. Just what on earth was she wearing?

_"Gomen._ Let me help you get that." Katie uttered on of the very few Japanese words she knew and bent to pick up what had been dropped, then gave him an amiable smile. "Here, why don't I take some more of that?"

The boy blinked at the transition from his language into another he couldn't make out- he caught her apology though nothing else made the least bit of sense. He didn't think she, or the two girls standing with two horses and a mule, looked the least bit dangerous- if anything, they were probably lost. Travelers came through often enough, and while they were definitely road worn and dusty, he couldn't say that he even recognized their nationality.

Noting that the boy looked perplexed, Katie laughed helplessly. "That's all right. Nobody else can understand us either. One moment."

She turned, lifting her chin above the firewood in her arms to speak over it toward Ashley and Mandi.

"Yeah, we were wondering when you'd remember us and maybe tell us what you're up to." Mandi rested a hand on her hip.

"That'd be nice, anyhow." Ashley chimed in, adjusting her new grip on Rose's reins. "I don't like being left in the dark."

Katie grinned widely. "I think I just figured out what we can do to get a room for the night."

"I am _not_ sleeping with anyone, much less a kid." The youngest snorted, half joking, though seriously hoped that hadn't been the plan.

"No, no, no." Katie negated. "What if we try helping some people out with their housework or something? Starting with this kid here?"

"That's fine, but he's going inside now." Ashley tilted her chin in the boy's direction, and sure enough he had begun to walk into the house.

Jumping, Katie turned to hurry after the youth, ducking into the entrance before the door shut on her.

Shockingly, the house hadn't a single lick of organization or cleanliness. Dust lined messy bookshelves lined against the foyer wall, and piles of books, knickknacks, clothing, and other indiscernible items littered the floor haphazardly.

It looked, on estimate, that the kid lived alone for at least half a year for the state of his home to get so bad.

"Um, where do you want this?" Shaking out of her thoughts, she glanced down to the wood in her arms and then back at the boy.

Wordlessly, the kid maneurverded about the disastrous obstacle course, leading his newfound helper toward the room adjacent to the foyer. A living area, barely, since it looked like the previous room, containing a fireplace on the far wall. He dropped his share of wood onto the floor and Katie did the same, dusting her hands off afterward.

"Wow. I don't mean to be rude, but this place is a bit messy. Do you live alone?"

The boy gazed at her quizzically, though smiled politely. _"Gomen nasai. I can't seem to understand you, miss. Perhaps my grandfather will speak your language. Come with me, douzou."_

Though she didn't catch his meaning, Katie followed him when he moved down a short and narrow hallway, turning into the first door on the left. Inside lay an old man upon a bed, which answered her question of whether the boy lived alone or not. She stayed in the doorway as the boy knelt beside the bed.

The old man turned his head toward his grandson, foggy, watery black eyes taking notice of their visitor before he coughed in order to speak. His voice sounded strained, and Katie saw in him the look that the elderly got when they knew they were too weak to get out of bed anymore.

_"Who is this woman? Why is she here?"_

_"Grandfather, she helped me bring in the firewood. There are two more like her outside, and I believe they are travelers. I can't understand her language, though, and thought maybe you would."_ The boy glanced back at Katie and nodded.

She took it as her cue to try and say something. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to intrude."

Waving his fingers weakly, the old man laid back upon his pillows. _"I don't know that language, boy, leave me be to rest."_

Standing and ushering Katie out of the room, the boy sighed. "_Grandfather hasn't been the same since he became ill last year. I'm wondering though, onamae wa?"_

It was Katie's turn to return a lost stare. Turning toward the doorway, she sought someone who knew a mite more of the language than she did, and found both Ashley and Mandi crowding the doorway. She gestured for them both to come in, assuming they'd dropped the reins or tied the horses to the back fence in order to let them graze a while.

"Mandi, I don't know what he said. It sounded familiar, but I'm not sure. I think he asked my name, but I'd rather be sure it wasn't code for 'I'm going to eat you'."

"Oh I doubt _that_; he'd have turned all crazy if he were a demon or a cannibal." Mandi sniffed.

Ashley shrugged, coming up beside her friend. "You never know. Maybe he's polite about it, like Hakkai's a polite demon. After all, considering we're halfway between China and India and they refer to Shangri'la as Togenkyou and speak Japanese, anything is possible."

"Er...point taken." Mandi made a face. Togenkyou was the name of a place during Feudal Japan, and since that country was an island some distance from China, Thailand, and India, it did muddle up some sense in her argument. "What did he say to you, Katie?"

"Um, sounded like 'omae-wa-na' something like that?" Katie glanced to the boy who gave a slight tilt of his head, looking like a confused puppy.

"_Onamae wa?_" Mandi repeated, and when both the boy and her friend nodded, she nodded in confirmation. "Then yes, your first guess was right. He did ask your name."

"Yay!" Katie squealed, clapping her hands together before turning to the kid and placed a palm over her heart. "I'm Katie. _Kay-tee_."

"_Kay-tee."_ The boy stressed the syllables just as she had before putting them together fluidly. He pointed to himself. "_Sana."_ His gaze then went to Mandi and Ashley, expecting their names as well. They told Sana and he repeated carefully until catching on, having particular difficulty with the 'l' in Ashley's name, though managed after a few tries.

As Sana crossed to the fireplace in order to throw a few pieces of wood on, he spoke. "_I'm sure that I should ask my grandfather's permission, demo, I can tell that you're not from around here. From the looks of it, you're probably hungry and tired. Why don't you stay here tonight? I'd really enjoy the company."_

"What did he say?" Ashley looked between the older pair of her friends who shrugged that they didn't know.

After stoking the fire a bit, Sana sighed, scratching his mussy brown hair. "_Hold on."_ He moved to a closet parallel to his grandfather's room, pulling out a blanket and a pillow roll, holding them up.

Putting on a gratuitous smile, Katie caught on. "It looks like we have a place to stay tonight! _Arigatou, Sana-chan."_

"That takes care of that, but what are we going to do about food?" Mandi moved her weight from one foot to another, chewing her bottom lip. "Tonight might be worry-free but we'll need more for the road."

Ashley casually took a turn about the room, hiding her devious smirk. "Oh, I think it'll somehow work itself out."

"Huh?"

Katie laughed, helping Sana take down the rest of the sleeping provisions as she watched Ashley sling an arm about Mandi's shoulders.

"Just who do you think would be in town shopping for supplies right about now?"

Mandi's cheeks began to burn and her eyes darted to an empty spot. "No one."

"Wrong answer."

She sighed. "...Hakkai. So what?"

Stuffing a blanket and pillow beneath one arm, Katie slung her free appendage over the girl's shoulders as well. "And _who_ does our green-eyed hottie happen to have a soft spot for?"

'Oh come on you guys, we're just friends!" Mandi blushed deeper, frantically looking for a way out, even toward Sana though he busied himself with the fire.

Ashley snorted. "He didn't make _us_ eggs for breakfast three mornings ago."

"But that was..." She didn't think it possible to blush any deeper, though the tomato-hue to her cheeks proved her wrong. "It's not like that." A soft growl sounded low in the brunette's throat as her face became an inferno. "Drop it okay? I'll go, but I can't promise anything."

Triumphant grins in place, Katie and Ashley backed up, releasing their comrade and gave her a nudge toward the door.

"Then get to it, woman." Ashley chuckled, taking a better look about the house. "We'll see you soon."

"Yeah, don't do anything I wouldn't do." Katie said in a sing-song manner as the girl trudged outside, muttering incohensively beneath her breath.

"_Sanzo-o-o-o...harahetta!"_ Goku moaned pathetically, flopping forward on the surface of the small table inside of the monk's double room. His golden orbs shot up to try and see Gojyo's hand as it landed hard on top of his head.

_"Urusai, bakazaru! You're always hungry, and ya wouldn't be if you didn't eat all our food on the way here!"_

Shaking the kappa's hand away, the heretical youth glowered in return. "_What'd you call me? And stop touching me! You just can't keep your hands to yourself, can you?"_

"_Nani!_ _You ingrate-chimp! Like I wanna touch you!"_ Gojyo's crimson eyebrows gull-winged above his matching red eyes. "_Besides, you saying you're hungry is makin' me hungry too, so shut your trap already before we have monkey-jerky for dinner."_

From the chair nearby a window, Cho Hakkai spoke quietly. "_Douzou, you two, we'll be thrown out if you're too loud."_

The pair ignored him and Goku swatted at Gojyo as he continued to tease him. "_Quit it, or I'll bite your fingers off!"_

_"Hakkai, go get the supplies before the shops close."_ Sanzo broke through the inane argument without taking his eyes from the newspaper in his hands.

Gojyo and Goku both turned their heads toward the monk.

_"Can I go too!"_ Goku cried out, standing abruptly from his chair, nearly toppling it over.

"_Iie!"_ Sanzo grunted sourly.

Hakkai stood obediently from the chair, though, remembering where all of his funds had gone, he walked to the table sheepishly. "_Ah, Sanzo, a favor?"_

_"What?" _ The monk replied irritably, still not looking up.

"_Anou, it seems I've run out of money. Might I borrow the ATM card?"_

_"Fine."_ Pushing the gold charge card into Hakkai's palm, violet orbs flickered up briefly in warning. _"This is to buy supplies for **us**, got that?"_

_"Yes sir."_ Cheeks flushed, Hakkai headed for the door, pausing when Goku's voice complained again.

"_Hey, hey! I wanna go to! Can I Hakkai? Can I, can I, huh?"_

_"Did you forget what Sanzo just said already?"_ Gojyo reminded as he searched for a cigarette in his pockets.

"_Demo, harahetta!_" He no sooner took a step forward did Sanzo smack him with the harisen.

_"Urusai! Hakkai, go!"_

Hurrying out through the hallway, Hakkai pocketed the gold card and stepped outside onto the paved market side road.

Turning in the direction of the shops, he lost himself in thought, hoping that the girls had reached town all right. It hadn't felt proper, leaving them so far behind, but Sanzo had grown too impatient to attempt arguing with him.

What if the girls couldn't read the map after all?

Or what if youkai had attacked them on the way and the girls escaped, but got turned around in the process?

What if, worse yet, they had been attacked by youkai and _hadn't_ escaped.

Hakkai shuffled his feet to a halt as a sick feeling twisted his stomach at that thought. The others were right. He did worry far too much. He had to place faith in the young women, that they were fine on their own, though it did nothing to ease his mind.

The three had decided to try and take the girls in after all, though Sanzo must have premeditated this and instead of booking four single rooms, he had booked two double rooms. It'd be far too difficult to get a good night's rest with five people crammed into one small space.

Inadvertently, Hakkai's thoughts strayed to the evening spent in Reimeiki, after he and Gojyo found the girls in the desert and brought them back to the inn. He bowed his head with some mortification as he dredged up the recollection of accidentally sending Mandi's towel off to the laundry with her clothing. He'd panicked, for some reason, and hadn't the sense to think it'd be her only way to cover up while her clothes dried, other than staying burrowed beneath the bedcovers.

He was so sure she'd have slept in until long after her clothes came back, though he admitted she made the best of an awkward situation.

A hand landed upon his shoulder as a familiar voice hailed him for the fourth time in a row. Turning sharply, Hakkai's face flared up bright red as he found Mandi standing behind him. His vivid green eyes widened in both surprise and relief. At least he didn't have to wonder if the girls had made it all right.

"_Mandi-san! I'm so glad that you're all right. Did you girls find somewhere to sleep tonight?"_

Mandi knit her eyebrows together- nothing but her name had sounded familiar.

_"Oh. Sumimasen..."_ Hakkai frowned and then placed his palms together, resting his head on them to pantomime sleeping.

His crude sign language worked well enough and Mandi smiled. "_Uh, hai."_

_"Hai."_ The brunette youkai nodded and then looked away. He really wished he'd at least retained the ability to understand English, even if he couldn't speak it.

Mandi slapped her hands to her thighs lightly, feeling inept in not being able to understand him. However, realizing that they were blocking traffic, she tapped his shoulder and gestured to Hakkai in a 'let's go this way' manner.

He obliged, falling in step beside her, and for a time they both walked quietly.

The young woman couldn't say she minded it. How many times had she played moments like this, walking with who she thought was the cutest guy in anime, over and over in her dreams?

At least in her dreams she'd been able to understand him.

In an off-balance step, their hands brushed together and Mandi forced herself to look the other way to hide the red mottling her cheeks again. Hakkai laughed softly, though it sounded uncomfortable and forced, and neither of them made any move to try and say anything about it.

After the fifth food shop came into view, Mandi began to wonder if he was even out to shop for supplies at all. Convincing him to put a little extra on Sanzo's card would be difficult if Hakkai were just out on a leisurely stroll.

A loud shout coming from the shop caused her to stop walking, and following suit, Hakkai did the same, Mandi trying to see around him into the doorway.

Suddenly, a crash came from inside, and a particularly large youkai burst through the wall, shattering it like it hadn't been there at all.

Gasping, Hakkai instinctively spun toward Mandi, wrapping an arm about her waist and pushed her forward into a crouch. He shielded her from the rain of glass and splintered wood, glancing back to see the unattractive demon standing just in front of the gaping hole in the shop.

The youkai snarled at the townspeople who fell to their knees or ran off screaming in terror and panic before resting his gaze on Hakkai. The young man stood, pulling Mandi up and then stepped in front of her.

"_Mandi-san, stay back."_

She peered over his shoulder at the demon, noticing the meatbun it held in one hand, half eaten, and its other hand hanging loosely at one side, claws dripping thick globs of dark blood. Stepping back, she refrained from shouting out as Hakkai bolted forward slapping away the meatbun and gripped the youkai's other arm to keep it from attacking him.

The demon snarled loudly as it struggled. _"Foolish human! You'll be next!"_

_"Oh I don't know..._" Hakkai kept his tone pleasant as he kicked the monster away from him simply. "_I think you'd choke on me."_

Regaining balance the demon glowered at his enemy. _"Who do you think you are?"_

_"Just a traveler headed west."_

_"It couldn't be!"_

Mandi stepped back again, thinking Hakkai might need more room as he cradled a chi energy sphere in his hand. Judging by the youkai's reaction, she figured it must have just found out who it was up against. She almost felt sorry for it. After all, Hakkai had slain one thousand demons before becoming one himself. This thing was way out of its league.

Just as Hakkai threw his chi ball and rendered his opponent lifeless, Mandi felt an arm creep about her shoulders. Her muscles tensed when she saw the clawed, bloodied hand attached and let out a scream, thinking she sounded much like a helpless little girl as she did so.

Pivoting, Hakkai's eyes widened and he took one step forward. _"Iie! Mandi-san!"_

The second demon growled menacingly, bringing it's mouth close to Mandi's ear. The young woman swallowed thickly as the sweet, rusty stench of blood penetrated her nostrils. The demon must have bathed in the stuff, and she could feel the back of her shirt soaking through in some places.

Her eyes settled on Hakkai's face as he made a verbal exchange with the youkai. Though she couldn't understand, her mind filled in the blanks.

The demon would threaten first, as it brought its claws to her neck. "_I'll kill her..."_

Hakkai's own words would loosely translate into, "_If you harm her..."_

He advanced slowly as his enemy tightened its grip about Mandi's shoulders. The young woman stared pleadingly at Hakkai, though, once taking notice of his hardened and cold eyes, she realized just who she was looking at. The unforgiving face of Cho Gonou the demon slayer had replaced the gentleness of Cho Hakkai, and it became too much for her to look at.

She shut her eyes, squeezing them tightly, trying not to whimper. However, when she felt the hold on her tense, Mandi knew she was about to get hurt and she yelped.

"_Hakkai!"_

When her eyes opened he was there, inches from her face, burning green eyes staring down the demon in all his buried fury. He twisted the demon's arm away and in his next move, Mandi was flung to the ground.

She had barely made it up to her hands and knees when Hakkai sent a powerful chi blast into the demon, sending it flying back into the next building with such force, the wall actually shook. When the youkai lay still and dead, the young man turned back to face Mandi.

A sigh of relief escaped her. The face of Cho Gonou had gone and all that remained was just Hakkai.

He went to her side, offering a hand out to help her up. "_Mandi-san, gomen nasai. I should have paid more attention. Daijoubu?"_

Standing shakily with his help, Mandi nodded and then dusted off her skirt. _"H-hai...daijoubu."_

Hakkai frowned deeply, turning his head away as a terrible thought occurred. If something had happened to her, if he couldn't get to her in time...

Her hand touched his shoulder, the barest of touches, though he looked at her, a false smile pasted in place.

She opened her mouth to try and let him know she was really all right, that she hadn't been hurt, but her stomach growled loudly.

Flinging a hand over it, Mandi gazed up at Hakkai as he laughed, a sound they both heartily welcomed.

_"Now that is a sound I can understand. I'm guessing you haven't eaten anything since last night, demo, your supplies are probably nonexistent. And your clothes..."_ Hakkai assessed her apparel discreetly, discovering it would probably begin to unravel on her soon if she continued wearing it. "_Sanzo wouldn't really approve, but you girls need this as much as we do. Besides, what he doesn't know won't hurt him."_

Hakkai plucked out the charge card, turning it in his fingers and smiled sincerely down at the young woman. She looked between the card and Hakkai before grinning. She felt like such a mooch, but she had fed, clothed, and put all four of these guys up for two entire weeks. It was only fair that the favor be returned.

"You've read my mind, Hakkai."

He continued smiling though he hadn't the slightest what she'd just said, only supposing she had caught his meaning. Hakkai turned and guided Mandi down the road toward another shop- one that he hoped was demon-free.

They'd spent just over an hour and a half shopping. Mandi played the careful-card as she chose only necessities, though Hakkai managed to slip in a few mystery packages when her head was turned.

In the end, he carried two bags, because Goku could eat as much as three men and then some, and Mandi only carried one. The girls, perhaps, would use their supplies a bit more wisely.

As they reached the trisecting road on the opposite side of Sana's house, Hakkai cleared his throat. _"I'll walk you back. Perhaps I can speak with whoever you're staying with and explain your situation to them."_

Green eyes glanced over Mandi as he nodded toward the tunnel road and she started down the path silently.

By the time Sana's house was reached, the sun had sunk low into the sky, and its glow peered through the plateau's tunnel, casting it in a strange shimmer. Setting down her grocery bag to relieve her aching arms, Mandi turned to look at Hakkai and thanked him softly.

He had already forgotten that he wanted to step inside, to see the other girls and to talk with who lived in the house. His smile wavered.

_"I should get back."_

Yet he didn't move.

How many times had he looked at this girl in the past few weeks and wished he could say more, do more, than just smile at her?

She so reminded him of his precious Kanan that his heart ached...

He turned his gaze down at the road, his feet still unwilling to depart from where he stood, and he shifted the bags in his arms.

Mandi tilted her head to one side, finding his nostalgic expression from between the brown sacks he held.

_"_ Hakkai, is something wrong?" Shit, he couldn't understand her. It frustrated her, wanting to talk with him, but having the language barrier in the way made it more than difficult.

Curious, Hakkai lifted his head an the soft sunset highlighted his cheekbones and flashed off of his monocle.

Her breath caught in her throat at the sight and she made a sound suspiciously like a sob for reasons unknown to even herself.

Hearing it, he gazed at her in concern, discovering water welling up in her amber colored eyes. "_Mandi-san?"_

_"_ Oh Hakkai...I wish sometimes I could tell you how you make me feel, especially right now, but...but even if you could understand me, I think I'd be too afraid to tell you."

One of her hands flew to her mouth, stifling another choked sound. What was wrong with her? She didn't cry! She never cried! And far be it from her to start doing it _now_ in front of _him!_

"I need to bring this in." She turned, gathering up the bag and all but ran to the door. At the last moment, Mandi bowed her head to Hakkai and then shut the door behind her.

Hakkai stood, puzzled by what had just happened. He wondered if he had done something wrong, or hadn't done something he should have done, but seeing no use in wondering over it at the moment, he turned down the road and headed back for the inn.

"Is that Mandi? Geez, it took you long enough!" Katie poked her head out from the kitchen which was tucked between the hallway and the small living room. "Sana made us some supper while you were gone, so I hope that you're- hey...are you crying? What's wrong?"

The older girl stepped out, followed by Ashley and Sana.

Blinking her eyes rapidly, Mandi put on a smile and shook her head. "No, no, just some dust got into my eyes from outside, I'm fine. Here, I got the supplies from town. They should last us a couple of weeks if we're careful."

Ashley gazed suspiciously at her friend; something bugged her about how quickly she'd answered, though she wouldn't press on about it and thought it'd be best if Katie didn't either. Instead, she smirked a little.

"Well, for not being able to promise anything you came through, didn't you?"

Katie giggled, placing her hands on her hips. "Hakkai couldn't resist her charms. What'd we tell you? Everything worked out."

"Sure, if you say so." Mandi sighed, walking past the pair into the kitchen and set the grocery bag on the back counter beside the sink. When she turned to face her two partners, she suddenly noticed a difference in the home she stood in. "It's cleaner in here."

"So you noticed." Ashley chuckled.

Katie leaned against the wall. "Yeah. While you were off seducing Hakkai into buying us food, _we_ were busting our asses to repay Sana and his grandfather for letting us stay here tonight."

"That's nice." The younger brunette replied flatly, her eyes becoming hooded in her ennui over the matter. "Just let me set you straight on a couple of things, all right?"

The blue eyed young woman exchanged a glance with Ashley before she straightened from the wall and waited for their friend to continue.

"It was the pair of you who sent me out to get our supplies in the first place, so please don't hold that against me for not being here while you were cleaning. On top of that, I did not _charm_, or _seduce_, or do anything of the sort to Hakkai because there is nothing more between us than friendship. I'd appreciate it if you'd just let up on the issue, because there's nothing there worth talking about. Got it?"

Katie and Ashley stared for a moment, though they had definitely caught Mandi's hidden meaning.

Stop the teasing or face certain death. Or something along those lines but less brutal.

Murmuring an apology, Katie sidled up to help unpack the grocery bag and sort the supplies.

"Go sit down and eat something, we can do this." Ashley gave the darker haired girl a nudge on the back and then pulled her hand away, wrinkling her nose. "What is that on your back?" She sniffed at her fingers and then arched an eyebrow. "Is that _blood_? Are you sure that you're okay?"

"Oh. I guess I forgot about that." Mandi shook her head, moving to scoop some rice and chicken into a bowl that Sana set out for her. She thanked the youth, who sat quietly at the table, and then sat down across from him. "There were a couple of youkai in town, a little bit of a skirmish, but it's fine now."

"_What!_" Katie turned around abruptly, eyes rounded. Remembering the ill elderly man in the next room, she lowered her voice. "How the hell do you forget having a skirmish with some youkai?"

"Really," the blond scowled some, "a youkai attack isn't something to forget so easily. This town isn't overrun by them, is it?"

Savoring a mouthful of her dinner before replying instantly, Mandi shook her head in the negative, and then swallowed her food.

"No, it's not overrun. There were only two, like I said, and Hakkai took care of both of them." Quickly, she recounted what had gone on in town, trying to keep the blush down from her cheeks as she mentioned how Hakkai had to more or less, rescue her from the youkai that held her hostage. "That's why it took me so long to come back."

"So long as you're not hurt, but those are your only clothes, and blood doesn't come out so easily." Ashley stated somewhat absently.

"Hey, what are these?" Katie started taking out a series of brown paper wrapped packages, stacked them on the counter and found four in all.

Ashley and Mandi looked over and the older of the pair shrugged, looking equally as baffled.

"I don't know, I didn't get them. At least, I don't remember getting them. Might as well find out. Open 'em up."

Tossing two of the packages over to the table for the pair to open, Katie picked up the first of the ones on the counter, tearing into the paper carefully.

Inside of the first lay three small backpack pouches, meant to carry what of their provisions could fit into them.

"What the..? Are you sure you didn't buy this?" Katie asked again, separating the pouches and untying the straps that would fit over each girls' shoulders.

"Positive. I only picked up food..." Mandi trailed off as it dawned on her who must have made the extra purchases. "...it had to have been Hakkai."

As the girls conversed, poking about the other three unopened packages and trying to guess what was inside of them without looking first, Sana set his chin down on his hands at the table. A thin smile played at his lips, puppy-dog eyes glancing from one young woman to another in succession.

It'd been so long since any voice, intelligable to him or not, had graced the house. Since his parents died when he was only four years old, Sana had lived with his grandfather, a man who had helped in building most of Shin'yoo Mannaka ni Machi. In fact, it was the same man who partook in naming the town- a simple title, yet so fitting. He shut his eyes, the sounds of the girls' voices eventually drowning in the memory of a time when his grandfather had been healthy, when he set Sana on his lap and told him why Shin'yoo Mannaka ni Machi was named thusly.

- - - - - _" Many years ago this land used to be all desert. Did you know that, boy?"_

_A seven year old Sana shook his head, peering up at a healthily lean elderly man with ruddy cheeks, broad smile, and a sparkle to his dark eyes. _

_"How did they make it like this?"_

_His grandfather gazed up at the formation behind his home, gesturing that he look as well. "That plateau used to have an oasis at the top of it. It's a peculiar thing, because an oasis is usually at ground level, demo, it's quite true. The water at the top ran through a small crack down to the sand. When the refugees from the East were traveling toward India, they stopped to take a drink and decided to camp beneath the shade of the plateau._

_"Late that evening, a particularly terrible storm swept over the desert land and the lightning struck the rock of the plateau, causing it to split a little where the water came through. All night, the refugees from the East watched as bolt after bolt was drawn to the rock, breaking away the rock until a small opening had formed. When the storm passed, the sun had begun to rise, and inside of the newly formed cave the people discovered a rare mineral._

_" Since they had traveled so far in search of a new and prosperous life, the refugees took it as a sign from the heavens that this was where they should settle. Some scouted the area and a forest, strangely enough, was discovered three miles away from the plateau. The people cut down what trees were neccessary to build their homes, and I, Sana, was one of those young men who helped in creating this new town."_

_Sana turned his eyes from the rock formation toward his grandfather in astonishment. "You must be pretty old, then."_

_The man chuckles light-heartedly, his shoulders sagging as he sighed. "Ah, hai, old enough to have seen many things, but nothing like the miracle of that evening. We worked the desert surrounding the plateau until it was habitable and the minerals we mined were used for trading with other towns for supplies. The water from the top eventually dried out, though we discovered that there was plenty of water underground and now we have this pretty green grass, and those wells. Have you ever noticed, Sana, sometimes how the tunnel through the middle of the rock will sparkle when the sun sets?"_

_The boy nodded enthusiastically, grinning. "It looks orange and shines like there are fireflies inside of it!"_

_"Indeed. It's the residue from when we mined. I imagine there is plenty more of what we took out to make that tunnel, but we supposed it was best to leave it where it was. In honor of what the plateau had offered to us, we built the town around it and it was mine and your late grandmother's idea to name it Shin'yoo Mannaka ni Machi- Honor in the Middle of Town."_

_"Saa...that makes sense now! I always kind of wondered..."_

_"I want you to have this, Sana." Leaning to one side, the old man buried a hand into his pocket and removed a cut stone dangling from the end of a looped tweed string. "The very first chunk of stone taken from the plateau was mine, and I had it shaped for your grandmother. Now that she has passed, and the only descendant left of my line is you, it is yours."_

_Sana turned the stone over and over in his hands, watching it glinting a burnt orange color beneath the rays of the setting sun. - - - - _

He perked his head up in time to notice that his three guests had begun to open up their other three packages. Sana smiled, though he wasn't too curious to see what they were revealing, and he left the room to check up on his grandfather.

Taking notice of the young boy leaving the room, though not really making a fuss about it, Katie pushed her the brown paper aside of the second package on the counter and pulled at a deep green fabric.

"Oh my...Hakkai is such a _doll!_ Look at this!" She held up the fabric, which turned out to be a bell-sleeved Chinese style tunic with silver neck clasps, and a tan waist sash. "Oh- there's more." Along with the tunic came a pair of loose-fitting pants, light nut brown at the waist and eventually merging into chestnut, bronze, and then deep dirt brown at the ankles.

"That's really nice...So then, I wonder if we all got these things?" Mandi tilted her head, finishing parting the paper on the package in front of her. She quirked an eyebrow, stood up measuring the pant length to her legs and then laughed. "This is a little too long, so I'm going to assume this is for Ashley."

The tallest yet youngest of the three had been doing the same with the garments from the package before her and looked up. "Yeah, 'coz these are too short. Swap."

Switching out the clothing, they reassessed it, holding it up to themselves.

"This is really nice. He didn't have to do this." Ashley spoke quietly, running her hand over the cool blue fabric of her tunic, which came complete with a white sash and bottoms which ran deep azure at the waist into blue-green, and then light, frothy aqua.

"Indeed, but I can't say I'd regret it. It's not like we didn't need this stuff." Mandi arched an eyebrow as she looked over her own new clothing. "This has pink on it. Not a color I'm fond of, but..."

"But considering who it came from, you're not going to complain, huh?" Katie snickered. "It's at a minimal anyway."

The tunic hadn't a splash of the color on it, rather it was a vivid sunshine yellow with silver-blue neck clasps and a cloudy vermilion and orange waist sash. The slacks started off with rosy pink, cerise, and dwindled down into wispy yellow and blue ending in white.

"They look like they'll fit." The eldest began to carefully fold up the items. "How do you suppose he knew our sizes, though?" She tried not to blush at the thought that maybe Hakkai had snuck about at night and measured them in their sleep.

Ashley ran a hand over the silky smooth fabrics again before folding them as well. "Oh don't get yourself hot and bothered over it-" she refrained from adding 'that's Mandi's job' and went on. "He _did_ do our laundry at Mandi's grandparents' house, remember?"

"Though I'm supposing he incorporated some guesswork." Mandi glanced up from her new attire. "Sanzo is going to be pissed off when he finds out you know." She laughed. "Then again, it's not his money spent anyway, is it?"

Somewhere in the heavens, Jiroushin gasped and fainted.

At that moment, Sana returned from checking up on his grandfather, and in seeing the new clothing folded in the girls' arms, he came up with the notion that perhaps they'd like to clean up before bed so the clothes wouldn't be dirtied in the morning.

"_Katie-san, Mandi-san, Ashley-san! Follow me, this way."_ He waved his small hands at the three, turning out of the kitchen and back down the single hallway.

Carting along their new items, the young women trotted after him, coming to a doorway at the end of the hall. Sana pushed it open and inside revealed a full bathroom, which the girls were relieved to discover was much tidier than the rest of the house had initially been.

As the young boy moved in, flipped on the lights, and started the bathwater, Mandi slumped against the wall.

"Halle-fricking-lujah. I was contemplating jumping down a well in town if I couldn't take a bath soon."

"I could see that." Ashley mused, moving to the side as Katie eased her way past both girls.

"Well I've got first dibs, since you two are busy talking about it." She grinned cattily, shooing Sana out of the bathroom.

When each of them had thoroughly cleaned up, they'd changed into their new apparel and washed up their old clothing. It'd probably do to use those as the back up rather than have it the other way around.

The sun had set completely, leaving a cloudless and star-filled sky in its wake, and the trio figured turning in for the evening was best. Undoubtedly Sanzo's group would want to leave early, so in order to be ready to follow them again, they'd have to awaken with the rising of the sun.

Author's Note! _Sorry this chapter took so long but I do hope it satisfies some. No worries, Chapter 7 has already been started. Do your happy dances now, my friends. I'd like to thank Lady Keilantra for allowing me to use her one-shot fanfic "Shopping Trip", her entry for my contest some chapters ago, in this chapter. I have edited certain parts of the original, though kept some of the same content. The parts from where the girls arrive in Shin'yoo Mannaka ni Machi til when Mandi returns to Sana's home are all from "Shopping Trip". :)Thank you Lady Keilantra!_

Disclaimer (I should've done this first, but oh well.) I don't own Saiyuki, the original chars belong to me and the rightful owners- you know the drill. REVIEWS PLEEEASE! 


	7. Reflection

**A/N -** Yes. Believe your eyes. There has been an update to this fanfic! I must apologize for the long hiatus, I've had a terrible case of writer's block. -sweat drop- Never fear, I do sense the abilities coming back to me! I had some tough things to deal with, personal things, and for the most part it hindered me from continuing the story. Nevertheless, I am getting it back on track with a newfound zeal and it seems that it will go down a path different from the one I had originally planned for. Yet, what is a story if it does not develop a mind of its own, right? -smiles- Prepare yourselves…it's going to get a little bit rougher on this journey.

So in case anyone has forgotten, the Fire Element has yet to be claimed by the Homura-tachi. I've been hearing some comments that something needs to happen soon, and I really do agree. This chapter doesn't have a whole lot of action in it, my apologies, however it is definitely leading up to it! The main four aren't in this chapter, either I'm sorry! -cries- and it is something of a reflective little blurb, so I suppose you could skip it…but I'd be very happy if you read it instead!

Honestly, and this time I swear by it, I'm not going to forsake this story after all the effort I've put into it. Forgive my mistakes, I've been more hooked on the manga now than the anime. I add detail as I see fit, since the Homura arc only occurred in the anime, so if I've gotta bullshit my way through some things, bear with me. I'll do my best to make it plausible. -grin-

You know the drill, kiddies! Characters belong to Minekura-sama, I'm doing this for no monetary profit whatsoever, and the Elementals are c me and respective owners!

And now, without further ado…

**Chapter Seven**

**Reflection**

**Konran Tower**

"Homura…" The soft-as-silk voice of the silver-haired whipcord Shien prompted his leader from his left-handed pillar.

Mismatched gold and blue orbs flashed upward, looking from behind midnight locks with intensity toward the speaker.

"Is there something troubling you, Shien?" Homura's tone reigned smooth, the essence of calm within calamity.

The instigator remained unflinching, his visage the cool image of serenity. "It's not so much 'troubling'. I only wonder. With as much time we've allowed to pass, has any part of your new plan taken effect yet?"

Such an inquiry caught the attention of Zenon, who had been fiddling with the trigger-lock of his ma-shin gun until this point. Raising his head, he allowed one shocking green pool to roll in the direction of the other two.

The War Prince tilted his head to one side, amused and slightly offended at the seeming distrust and skepticism. "Soon enough; I sense it is nearly time. Are you questioning my choices?"

"Of course not." Shien denied the very idea of it. "I only was curious, and perhaps eager to find out. My apologies…"

Chuckling softly, Homura lifted his chin rather regally, though his smile did not play at sincerity. "Think nothing of it. I understand for I am quite eager myself. In fact, I'd hoped to discover that the day had arrived…"

"Good, 'coz my trigger finger is itching like ya wouldn't believe." Zenon growled, his singly exposed eye darting impatiently toward their leader.

The demi-god propped an elbow on the arm of his claimed throne, resting his chin upon his knuckled fist.

"I have been more than aware of your eagerness, Zenon. However, I wanted to wait until dear Huo Kumiko had reached full potential."

"Forgive my intrusion, demo, would it be the wisest thing, to take her at such strength?" Shien chose his words as carefully as possible, though he could not forget it had lingered among his thoughts for some time as it were. "I wonder why you've chosen to wait so long."

"Why do the work when someone else would do it for us?" Homura's smile had become mirthless and he took his leave from his perch.

"I sure as hell hope ya know what you're doing." The brasher of the gods grumbled as he shifted his weapon from one hand to the other.

He'd been in a touchy mood ever since the discovery of the Fire Elemental, Huo Kumiko; anxious to get the process on the move, Zenon had all but blatantly announced his abhorrence of sitting like ducks for the hunter. The sooner they abducted the girl, the sooner they could commence all other plans.

Shien had remained the calmest since the new addition to their goal, this branch which had sprouted from pure circumstance and convenience. Huo Kumiko's fermenting period tested the trio, though truly, he viewed himself as the one with the least to fight for.

In the events of Rinrei's torture and execution, or Mirai and her son's ruthless murder, he looked in shame upon his own story's subject. Nataku lived on, despite the absence of his spirit; his body had the sense to work as a working organism.

While Nataku the child-god reveled in his comatose state in Tenkai, Shien had decided to cast himself out for Homura's cause. To break free of the heavens had been a dream which very few ever pursued and those few rarely made it past the first gates. Exile seemed the fastest and most effective manner of separating the immortal servants from those suffocating bonds to the Jade Emperor.

After all was said and done, Shien justified his reasons for taking after Homura's burden-heavy footsteps. The half-god had inherited the title of War Prince in the stead of their lifeless Nataku. Was it, or was it not Shien's responsibility to justly honor and therefore serve He who retained such a title?

It nearly made him laugh aloud in bitterness, though he bit his tongue and stayed his voice.

The idea of the Jade Emperor's heavens under a just rule, however, was absolutely absurd.

What moral existed only shone through as a role in a play, a false precedence shown to better the face of Tenkai's ultimate ruler. Those living within closer quarters of the Emperor would have known his true tyranny, the fist of self-proclaimed power to play all as his puppets.

A sourness rose in Shien's throat.

What sort of fair emperor forbade the rescue of a child, immortal or not. War Prince or servant?

What sort of just ruler applauded the father of said child for showing absolute lack of emotion for his son?

What leader purposely placed one of his own courts into imminent peril before knowing in full that soldier was truly ready to face such a task?

The moon-glazed deity gazed down upon his own hands, turning them palms up. Would his friends stare through his eyes they, too, should see the crimson dripping from the pale flesh.

"And what sort of loyal fool stands idly by as his charge is brutally injured by such a terrible monster?"

He had not meant for the words to be physically spoken, although his placid expression becomes startled upon realizing it.

Zenon straightened at his post, looking in Shien's direction. "What's that, man? Didn't really catch it."

"Oh, nothing." The other managed to collect himself, his cool demeanor fixed in place once more. "Merely talking to myself."

Inside, turmoil raged.

Nataku had only been but a child.

_A child!_

An immortal? Of course.

The son of the Emperor's favored Li Touten, yes.

But still, he was first and foremost _only a child._

Shien's stomach churned even at the memories of Nataku when he lived. The boy used to rampage the heavens without a second glance to the rules; his practical jokes occurred on a daily basis, much to most everyone's chagrin. He ran ramped in Tenkai as though it were his personal playground; he caused trouble and difficulties wherever he treaded, and despite the lack of playmates, the young prince always sufficed to amuse himself.

His caretaker, his loyal advisor and sworn protector Shien had scolded the boy often for skipping lessons or missing training sessions. Nevertheless, it had been done with mild reproach for children, naturally, were meant to play and fraternize no matter what their race or rank.

The problem therein laid the fact there had never been any other children, at least not during that particular time, and certainly not in that sect of Tenkai.

It was not until one of the servants of Kanzeon Bosatsu had brought to her the wild beast born of rock, earth, and sky- the one born of a stone egg high upon a mountain flat. The moonlit night had hatched the egg, birthing the strange primal creature resembling that of a primate- wild and persistently hungry, innocent yet childishly savage.

That child had been placed before Kanzeon and her horrendously snobbish nephew, Konzen Douji and under some mishap or perhaps badly played prank of the great Kannon; the monkey child was placed to Konzen's care. To the golden-man's dismay, the beast ran more rampant than Nataku ever had and was disciplined forcefully several times per day…

Shien wondered if Fate had played her hand in bringing the War Prince and the Monkey Sage together, for they had eventually met, though not until the chimp had been somewhat tamed.

The god recalled the day well enough, as though it replayed in his mind as a very recent memory. Though what is five-hundred years in the eyes of an immortal but a single heartbeat out of all treading the mortal earth?

Nataku had angered the Emperor by drawing on his face with a permanent marking pen whilst he slept and ran away to avoid being caught by the guards. He had ducked into a seemingly empty storage room where he came across another boy his age. Discovering that this other youth had also been running away from the wrath of his superior - this for drawing on some very important legal documents - the pair exchanged only a few more words before the guards eventually caught up.

Even so, Nataku could not keep from relaying the events to Shien, his excitement in making a friend so evident that the elder god could not help the smile on his face.

Yet it had startled Shien to learn of the other boy having the same golden eyes as Prince Nataku.

The color represented heresy of sorts, though it also stood for exceptional power within that person.

Monkey had not yet been named, for Konzen had no such desire to grant him one, yet it had later been deciphered to be Son Goku- otherwise known in his feral state as Seiten Taisei, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

Son Goku would later prove himself as an ominous figure; a threat to Nataku's position as Prince of War. He held such abilities and power unlike any ever witnessed, incomparable to even the finest Tenkai mercenaries. While the heretic had no such ideas as to ever try and overthrow his best friend's position, Li Touten had every theory of how the primate could do so and thus had to prevent the thwarting of Nataku's title.

Therefore, Nataku's friendship with Son Goku came up as a thing of worry, of taboo, of crime.

Shien could never have imagined it to turn out any worse, to backfire in such a terrible manner. Touten and the Emperor buckled down on Nataku's training, giving him less time to spend with the godforsaken Goku, less time to spend for himself, and less time to find himself caring about it.

Shutting out the image of Nataku's abused figure when he returned from his life-changing battle, Shien wondered at how any could be so punishing. It had been the defining fight, the one which had definitively earned the child his rank as God of War, though it had cost him a brutal beating and several sustained injuries.

The little prince spent weeks in recovery, confined to his quarters to heal his wounds and Shien had spent the majority of it at the boy's side. He aided the nursing of the tender and fragile body, and what efforts were spent outside was done to vainly attempt a lifting of Nataku's title.

He was not ready, no matter what Li Touten and their ruler proclaimed, and only did as

He was told for fear of getting into trouble.

Nataku did not like to disappoint anyone, not in serious matters, and the very thought of being so powerful would appeal to any little boy in love with the tactics of a good fight.

Shien had approached the power-hungry pair in a sort of quiet desperation, pleading with them to negate the boy's title if only for a while longer.

"We can't allow that _brat_, Son Goku to take my son's place!" Li Touten argued firmly to an already one-sided Emperor.

As much as the Jade Emperor loathed Nataku's impish antics in his palace, he detested the idea of a heathen replacing a 'pure-bred' god.

"Indeed we cannot. The power of that _heretical monster_ is far too great and untrained. His character is too wild to be reigned in. To place him under such gargantuan responsibility would be ludicrous."

It had been a lost cause from the start. Shien's words only fell upon deaf ears and stone hearts, and knowing he had no chance of gaining any ground, he backed down from his movement.

If only he had persisted with more force…

When Nataku recovered, there'd been a great celebration to honor his rise in the ranks. However, no sooner did he receive his official title in a formal ceremony did the Jade Emperor entrust a new mission to the youth.

An arduous task awaited, it would be more dangerous than the last.

Shien had felt his heart sink even as he held his head high.

If heaven's newly appointed Prince of War could not handle it, then certainly no one else could. At least he would have his army behind him for support.

The greatly feared Bull Demon Gyumaoh had lost control of his senses. He thirsted for the blood of humans, devouring them in mass quantities, giving no prejudices to which he chose for a sacrifice. Hundreds of innocent lives were given to him in payment for safety, yet it never guaranteed what those mortals prayed for.

The more flesh he ate, the greater his power would become, and the longer his life would last.

After much deliberation and council, the Jade Emperor had concluded that this demon Gyumaoh must be stopped. Such a reign of terror and destruction could not possibly continue, for it would only be a matter of time before all of Shangri-La ran red with spilled blood.

Shien had watched Nataku march out with five hundred of Tenkai's finest soldiers. He would accompany them on their crusade to the lower world, yet not as the prince's guard.

His position had changed upon the orders of the Emperor.

Rather than assist Nataku personally, Shien would command the army against the minions of the Bull Demon.

"What if Lord Nataku should become endangered? Shall I intervene?"

The question, as the silver haired god hoped, would have quite the obvious reply.

The Emperor's cold eyes settled on the liegeman. "Iie. He is the Prince of War and it is his duty alone to overtake Gyumaoh. Do you understand me, Shien? Nataku must face his enemy alone. I will not stand for treason to my words."

At the time, Shien felt a strong sense of foreboding.

Somehow the words had sounded so final, and he wished presently he had the sense to follow his gut instinct.

Yet to defy the Emperor's law meant to forfeit one's immortal life. What good would it do Nataku should Shien cast himself out for not following the rules, especially when he always taught the boy that rules were meant to be abided?

Nataku faced Gyumaoh with every ounce of courage inside his small body. He had stood with the form of a child and the strength of a man-sized god. Using the most potent spells and attacks he could muster, he did at last bind the demon king into a suspended animation submission.

The victory had come with a heady price.

It was Shien who gathered Nataku's broken body back to Tenkai with barely any soldiers left to follow them home.

The guilt for not coming to the prince's aid, for not stepping in so as to prevent such an exhaustion of energy had begun to wrack the god's soul.

Nataku would not awaken again.

While his golden eyes were open to the world, they peered through everything and saw nothing. He could not respond to his name; not a flinch of a finger or bat of an eyelash.

His confrontation with such a powerful foe had drained him nearly completely of his chi, his life energy, leaving next to nothing in reserve.

The war prince remained comatose even as Shien had pledged his new allegiance to Homura.

Perhaps this time would play out differently.

Maybe this time he could save someone rather than watch their destruction, he could keep him from suffering Nataku's fate.

For what good was a liegeman if he could not protect his charge?

"Shien. Shien…Shien?" Zenon's gruff voice called out to his comrade, the slightest tinge of worry lacing his husky tone.

The willow formed deity at last turned his face toward the other, sea-green orbs slit and complacent.

"What is it, Zenon?"

Astonished that the man could hold onto such a calm manner, even after being so unresponsive for the past twenty minutes, the vermilion haired god stepped back with a small grin.

"You're something' else. What the hell were ya daydreaming or something?"

"Or something…" Shien made a feeble attempt at humor before coolly approaching Homura's throne.

He'd not see the same happen to this one as had happened to Nataku.

"Homura, may I make a proposal?"

Whether the demi-god consented or not made no matter. Shien would say his piece and allow Homura to mull over the idea. He could not force anything that might go against his sworn leader, yet he would try with more heart and soul than he could have in the past.

When Homura gestured for his yes-man to go on, Shien held fast to his resolve.

"I move that we waste no more time waiting on the elemental. It may seem an easier task to take her at full capacity; however, her loyalties thus far are clearly for the son of Gyumaoh."

"Keep talkin', I'm likin' this." Zenon drew in toward the throne and leaned against the butt of his ma-shin gun. If it meant action sooner, he was already pro-Shien's idea.

The pale god resumed his movement.

"Huo Kumiko may not be the most powerful of all; however, as a natural Element her spirit will lend her body abilities which may exceed our own. My concern lies within the theory that we may not be able to control such an unpredictable spirit such as Fire."

"As the rule remains, I suppose, that the wider Fire spreads, the harder she is to contain. Am I correct in assuming this is your point, Shien?" Homura spoke with interest, viewing his companion's opinion as valuable as his own.

"You are."

"I vouch we get our asses movin'." A thick thumb jerked toward the exit of the throne room as a grin spread over the rugged deity's face.

Homura gazed down upon his followers, disciples in their own right, and he at last turned his back to them and nodded once.

"Then we will prepare and leave at once. The abduction of the flame begins immediately."


	8. Shaken

**A/N-** Can you believe it? Another chapter! You know you're excited so don't lie to me.

I'm sorry the last chapter was more of a 'Shien flashback' than anything else, but at least it lets you all know by the end of it they're ready to get the party started!

This is a good thing, trust me have I steered you wrong yet?.

Anyhow, I'm sort of alternating between groups per chapter, so this next one… Yeah, yeah, I hear you; you wanna get back to the main focus, right?

So that's exactly what I did. I hope you're all pleased!

Additionally, forgive some typos or punctuation errors you may come across. I'm typing this _very early or very late_; however you view being awake at 4:30 AM.

_**Once more for good measure**_:

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Saiyuki, nor am I affiliated with Kazuya Minekura-Sama in any way, shape, or form. This story is non profit and is done first and foremost for my pleasure, for my friends, and for the fans. :D All Elemental and OC's belong to me and their respectful selves. :D Enjoy!

**Chapter Eight**

**Shaken**

**Togenkyo**

The morning came in dusky gray kissed with the barest hints of shades of blue. It greeted the trio of young women with no more cheer than a wet dog kept too long in the cold. They'd spent the past night sleeping on the ground though had found more comfort than they usually had…

Two days prior, just before their departure from town, Sana had come to the girls with two very stuffed and very old supply packs. Within the first were blankets rolled and stacked upon three neck pillows; the second held folded rain cloaks, sewing needles and thread, and a pair of slightly worn silken slacks for the each of them.

The young boy insisted they take everything, nobody else has touched them in so long, and they had done for him so much.

He had a smile for them with gratuity so deep that they never could have measured it. Sana had surrendered himself to a lonely life, sacrificing what had been left of his childhood for the sake of caring for his sickly grandfather. Company rarely visited and had always been put off by the awful state of the small house. He had no playmates and for as short a time that Katie, Ashley, and Mandi were there, Sana was eternally grateful.

Truly, he hated to see them leave and had tried his best to convince the girls to stay, if only for one more night.

They didn't care to leave him, however they regretfully declined his offer. To the best of their ability, and between them all he seemed to understand, the young women told Sana they must continue West.

Keeping up with the Sanzo-ikkou took priority. The further into the journey, the less the girls cared to lose track and get lost. Their map could not always be relied upon- some landmarks were long since gone, keeping them wondering if the route was correct until they finally came upon an unchanged location.

Sana packed his new friends a bit of extra food since they chose to skip breakfast. He thought it should last them through the day and maybe some of the next before they needed to dip into their supplies.

When they rode away on their mounts the youth stood waving to them, sadness reflected in his mud-brown eyes, and his hand did not lower until the girls were nothing but specks on the horizon.

He hoped he'd see them again, should they turn around and head East someday.

What Sana did not know was he would never see them again.

On that day the quaint and beautiful village his grandfather had helped build fell to ruin.

**One day earlier**

Little did the girls known what would become of Sana, his grandfather, or the rest of the villagers._ Were they able to predict the future they'd have stayed that extra night, but as Fate would have it, the young women stayed blissfully ignorant to all which had come to pass._

_Having gotten caught up in the idea of Genjyo Sanzo's attempts to constantly leave them behind, Katie opted they leave the town that early in the morning to get the jump on the monk. _

_Ashley and Mandi had agreed, tired of being left so far behind that they couldn't even see the smoke from Hakuryuu's tailpipe. _

_What they had also failed to realize was how good of a head start they'd gotten. _

_Sanzo had chosen to stay one more day, though whether he had planned for the situation to grow into what it had or it happened merely through coincidence, he never would say._

_For an entire day, from sunrise to sunset, Mandi, Ashley, and Katie had gone on the quiet suspicion that the Sanzo party had actually left town sometimes in the middle of the night. Why any of them would have agreed to such an absurdity never struck any of the girls as strange, however, none of them spoke of it. They merely assumed. _

_"I'm gonna kill him when we see them, I swear it." Katie had growled under a hard breath, seething that the blond priest could have stooped to such a level._

_Ashley and Mandi exchanged knowing glances which read of silent debates of whether or not to reply to the eldest female. _

_Saying nothing at all seemed the lesser of two evils. Why risk words which incidentally would light the fuse to the bomb? Katie was allowed to vent her current animosity toward Genjyo Sanzo and the other two only nodded to show that they were listening to her._

_"In any case we'll get to where we need to get. We have a map, even if it is hard to read sometimes. I mean, where the hell does that moron get off thinking we're useless, anyway? Does he really think we're so stupid to go get ourselves lost, or killed? I oughta shove my boot up that tight ass of his…"_

_"Now, now…" Mandi finally interjected in a very 'Hakkai' manner, done on purpose in hopes of drawing out a laugh or two. "There's no need for pornographic comments."_

_As their mounts trotted along the sand the young women all went completely quiet. If crickets were around, they'd have sworn to have heard them chirping. Mandi smiled at the others blankly, wondering when the confused expressions would disappear from her companions' faces._

_"Porno- what? Mandi, dear, where in the hell did you pull that one out of?" _

_Ashley appeared to catch onto what her brunette friend had set up, a sly grin overtaking her nonchalant features. "Well not out of Sanzo's tight ass, that's for sure. If your boot is gonna be up there, I'm sure there's no room for anything else."_

_As lame as the joke might have been it managed to rouse a long fit of giggles from each of them and Katie's mild irritation disappeared._

_When the western sun began to set the young women diligently kept a vigil for a place befitting to settle for the night. Sand stretched out for miles beyond their sights with nothing to show for it save tumbleweed, cactuses, and sporadically placed rock formations. The darker the sky became, the less the young women felt they'd find a decent place. _

_If the map Hakkai had given them read correctly, the next town should have been ten miles or so back. Unless it suddenly vanished into thin air, the girls were frightfully lost. _

_Just going west apparently was not enough, although Katie had argued that landscapes marked on the map weren't always there on the actual route. While she'd been correct on that, Mandi and Ashley wondered if a town could just up and walk off. Nevertheless, depending on how old their map was, it could be possible._

_Not banking yet on the probability of their having gotten lost, the elemental hosts chose to bunker down where a six foot rock formation jutted out of fine golden grains of sand. It wouldn't do to continue wandering around in the dark, especially if they'd somehow gotten off track. The daylight would prove more helpful than the moon's half light._

_From where the last town should have been, another was shown to come along after another day's travel. The girls supposed that if Sanzo's group had left Shin'yoo Mannaka ni Machi earlier than they had, they'd already be in that town living it up. It only relit the ire Katie felt in being left so far behind._

_"I'm still going to give him a kick in the ass when we find them." She conceded, blue eyes flashing in determination as she spread out her blanket for the evening._

_The remaining two followed suit after tethering their transportation to a hole in the stone, making sure their own backs were to the wind. If they were positioned well enough, the boulder ought to block most of the wind from spreading too much sand onto them._

_"That's assuming we ever find them again." Ashley sat in the middle of her blanket, not looking forward to a fireless and cold desert night. It made her just a bit on the grumpy side._

_Mandi's almond brown gaze darted to the younger girl and she tried to keep her tone as unassuming as she could. "Oh. You think that we won't?"_

_Katie settled back onto her neck pillow and pulled one side of her fleece blanket overtop for warmth. "Like hell we won't find them again. If Kanzeon says we're supposed to be here, then we are. If she sent them to find us in the first place then it's got to prove we were meant to stay with those guys. Sanzo just doesn't believe in things like Fate or Destiny and he's doing his damnedest to keep us as far from him as he can. We'll meet them again, so Mandi, you don't have to worry. You can tell Hakkai how much you lo-o-o-ove him when we do." _

_"What!" The dark haired girl shrieked in a way that it sent her voice traveling far over the stretch of desert. Deep red circles blotched her tanned cheeks and she crossed her arms in an attempt to look put- off. "That isn't what I'm worried about you know, and don't put words in my mouth! I thought I already went over this…"_

_Chuckling lightly, Ashley lay back as well, keeping her hazel orbs on the endlessly starred sky. "You did, but try getting Katie to listen to anything we say for too long."_

_"I resent that." The older girl retorted as she closed her eyes. "Anyway, I'll be really pissed off we have to do everything completely on our own. It's not like we blend in. Well, these new clothes help some, but the people still know we're strangers and we can't speak the language… still."_

_"Methinks you're already halfway to being pissed off." Mandi mused as she finally relented to how tired she really was, lying back and snuggling beneath her blanket. "The coast is clear, by the way."_

_"What?" A sandy-blond head turned in the older girl's direction. "Oh. No youkai?"_

_"Right. No youkai. So we should be able to sleep well. It's not like they really have many places to hide out here…" _

_Satisfied with that and too tired to care about it otherwise, the trio slipped off into a comfortable yet dreamless slumber…_

**Current Day**

A grey sky was nothing to wake up to, thus the three girls were quite reluctant to move from their places. The sand had proved a more comfortable bed than first thought, conforming to the curves of their bodies, although a bit still managed to creep under their blankets and stick to their clothing.

"You two are awake, right? Ash? Mandi?" Katie's sleep-thick voice inquired though she made no move to sit up.

"Something like that," came Ashley's eventual reply and she slung her forearm over her eyes. "It's too early."

The middle girl groaned, turning onto her back and muttered an incomprehensible sentence that her friends were certain had something to do with coffee, or the lack thereof.

For a few more moments none of them said anything, throwing themselves deep into the struggle of keeping their eyes open.

Mandi threw her blanket off and sat up first though not without a dirty look to the blasé skyline. "I can't even see anything. Are you sure it's morning?"

"We're still facing west. The sun is rising behind us, see?" Ashley shrugged, pushing to her feet and waved to the horizon behind her without bothering to have a look herself. She could see the bits of blue and pink creeping into the sky just fine and thought no more on it as she shook the grit out of her blanket.

As Mandi and Katie moved to follow, dusting the grains from the fabric of their cloaks and clothing, a strangled sound emitted from one of them.

Ashley glanced over casually, finding it'd been the eldest who made the noise. "What is it? Spider? Scorpion?"

"Youkai," came the choked reply, her eyes wide in terror.

A simultaneous 'oh shit' parted the mouths of the younger women; they turned on tense heels in expectations to find a large group of snarling demons with purple tongues hanging out of their heads.

What they saw could not have shocked them more.

Peering over the boulder and in between the horses and mule tethered there they counted at least twenty bodies of mutilated monsters. Claws were still stiffly outstretched in a never-ending reach for their victims; lips curled back to bare elongated canines thirsting for flesh and bone; glazed over feral eyes gleamed in the lost hope of a successful attack. Limbs had been torn free from some, lying yards apart from their respective bodies and black blood soaked the once pure golden sand.

"Jesus freaking Christ." Mandi looked away, making a face. Good thing they hadn't eaten anything yet, it would have been a complete waste.

Katie slowly moved around their mounts, giving a pat to each one after inspecting them for any wounds. It surprised her that none of them were missing after such a big group of demons showed up, and none of the three were injured from what she could see.

"I'll bet on three guesses." Ashley said as she nudged a deadened claw out of her path. "The first two don't count."

Blue eyes sparked skeptically. "You don't mean Sanzo and them, do you? They left us behind by one day."

"Did they really?" Mandi shook her head of dark chocolate-cherry tresses. "Maybe it was the other way around…looking around here it really looks like this is their handy work. Look."

She gestured to a clump of six demons nearly dead on top of each other. Each one of them sported a bullet wound to one vital area or another.

"And there." Katie caught on motioning to a pair of demons crudely sliced in half with what could only have been Sha Gojyo's Shakukjo.

Disregarding the fright they'd initially woken up to, the young ladies ventured more into the throng of deceased and broken bodies. Closer inspection only seemed to further prove that each one had been killed by one of the Sanzo-ikkou members. Additionally, Ashley had uncovered a couple of cigarette butts identifiable enough as Marlboro and Hi-Lite brands.

"I'd say they were definitely here," Mandi sighed, wondering how this had exactly come to pass.

"We slept through this ruckus? I mean, shit, they're not the quietest when it comes to fighting bad guys." Katie could hardly contain her disbelief.

Ashley smirked. "They're not the quietest _anyway_." She turned away from the massacre. "But yeah, I'd say we did sleep through it all. We must have. I don't remember waking up to see demons get ripped apart."

"What are we, deaf? That's so retarded. I mean, I'm a heavy sleeper and all, but you'd think half a dozen gunshots would wake anyone up." Mandi didn't know whether to feel upset by it or relieved that they missed getting torn into in their sleep. She settled on being confused, returning to packing her belongings. "We'd better get going, though. The dead things are starting to freak me out."

Laughing softly, Katie concurred, going back as well to roll her blanket up and shove it in with the others into one of the packs Sana had given to them.

After readying Rose, Cosa, and the mule for another arduous trek through the no-man's land the girls set off on foot, leading their rides behind them. The longer they could withstand walking themselves, the less strain they'd place on their animals, or so they figured. It may take a little extra time to get anywhere, but not having transportation at all because they pushed the animals too hard wasn't something they could afford.

Twenty minutes later the sky had lightened giving a better impression of a clear morning. The demon corpses were at least a mile behind and though they saved their voices, the young women appeared in better spirits.

One thought echoed between them in spite of their heightened morale. If Sanzo, Gojyo, Hakkai, and Goku had taken down all of those youkai then it must have meant they saw the girls sleeping, or in the very least had seen the animals.

Why, then, hadn't they tried to wake up the young women?

If they were content with anything, it was that the priest's motley crew hadn't left their female friends up a creek by making them deal with the demon gang while half asleep. Sanzo apparently wasn't as cruel to allow those who pestered him die so ruthlessly if they were defenseless.

Or something to that effect.

"Would it have been so hard for Sanzo to let us follow him? It's not like we're asking him to wait extra days for us. We could have left at the same time as they did. We would have…"

An hour had passed in full addition to their first twenty minutes before Katie had broken the silence. Nothing but the sound of wind sifting through sand and hollows had all but driven her mad. She sighed, not really expecting an answer for the question. It'd been rhetorical more than deserving of a reply.

Even so, she knew her sinking spirits would eventually give way to frustration and ultimately anger; Katie had tried to keep it at bay though wondered just when she'd blow up.

Keeping emotions under complete lock and key wasn't a strong point of hers. She'd done so enough as a child and as a result tried to show or say how she felt when possible. Katie knew the effects of suppressing one's thoughts or emotions. She saw them every time Mandi meant to say what she was thinking and instead smiled and brushed it off. She saw them every time Ashley kept a stoic expression with her annoyance flashing in her eyes like the undercurrents to an otherwise placid lake.

But erupting like a volcano as Katie sometimes had the tendency to do wouldn't solve very much either. The twenty-two year old woman found that she regressed too much into a child like shell whenever situations became too intense for her liking. Behaving like a kid, getting into mischief and pestering others even when meant as a joke had become her security blanket and sometimes surpassed her ability to prove she could be adult.

Stress was not her friend and lashing out had been the only way she could handle it so far even when she tried to keep calm. She always regretted it afterward; who she hurt, or who she bothered with it, though sometimes apologizing didn't come to her so easily because at times Katie didn't think herself completely in the wrong.

Did the others find her weak because of it?

Katie looked discretely first to Ashley, who had always seem to let things roll of her shoulders unless they really bothered her. Otherwise, the youngest had ways to get sarcastic or in most cases rather blunt with how upset she was.

Why didn't Ashley ever say anything? In a way her personality reminded Katie a bit of a certain fair-haired monk…

She then peered at Mandi who, even then, kept a faint smile frozen in place. Why did she pretend as though Katie's outbursts were no big deal? Didn't they piss her off sometimes? Sure, the brunette got agitated, and it was usually known to her friends when she was, but conditions had to be just right.

Then again, there were times when the brown-eyed girl's sarcastic quips were discernable from being serious or just jokes…

Huffing to herself, Katie refrained from resenting them for it. They were her friends, right? They'd understand if she needed to scream or throw a tantrum every now and again, wouldn't they?

Shangri-La, no matter how beautiful and magical, was beginning to drive Katie up the proverbial wall.

There were demons everywhere and no sign of the alleged elemental powers that Kanzeon had claimed the girls to possess. Weren't Ashley and Mandi just a smidgen more than irked by it, or worried?

She guessed they had more important things to have concern for, such as finding Erin and rescuing her from Houtou Castle in India. Else, the young women just hid their anger like they hid everything else.

It had been easier if Sanzo would have allowed them to tag along in the first place, if he wasn't so damn pigheaded and set in his denial that anything including the girls was even taking place.

Katie's aggravation toward the unholy man of the cloth only added more fuel to the fire and unable to keep quiet about it anymore she groaned exasperatedly.

"He's just gotta make it harder for us, doesn't he!" She kicked at the sand, giving Rose a bit of a start.

Ashley's visage remained as unmoving as a frozen lake. "That's just Sanzo. I figured you'd have known that by now."

Scoffing, the elder rolled her icy blue eyes. "Yeah, but it's starting to piss me off that he won't bend even just a little. I swear I'm going to-"

"-knock his block off? Kick him in the balls?" Mandi chimed in with a meek attempt to set things off with a laugh like she had the day before. "Or are you still set on shoving your foot up his ass?"

"I don't know, but I'll figure it out." Katie mumbled crossly, eyes down to stare at her shuffling feet.

"You'd better think fast then, because you might get the chance sooner than you thought." The blond informed, pointing ahead to where a campfire lay smoldering in the midst of four familiar young men.

It appeared as though they were just finishing their breakfast…

_"Ne, Sanzo look!"_ Son Goku paused long enough from shoveling food into his mouth to point out three young women coming over a dune. "_They caught up!"_

The golden haired priest exhaled a long stream of smoke and watched the thin ribbon drift skyward. _"Gee, I can't imagine how they pulled it off."_

_Sanzo's tone dripped with cynicism, violet eyes avoiding the stare toward who he aimed an accusation at._

The heretic shoved the last of his breakfast into his mouth and attempted to speak around it.

"_Anou, Hakkai said Hakuryuu ha' t' rest, demo he seems okay."_

_"Ya dumb monkey, swallow what's in your mouth before you start spraying food out at everyone!" _ Gojyo issued his complaint, leaning away from the boy beside him.

Goku did so, though not without casting the hanyou a sneer. "_Anyway, Hakuryuu's flying around now, so I think he's just fine."_

_"He was probably fine all this time."_ Sanzo huffed this time skirting a glance at their driver.

Hakkai rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled sheepishly after taking his forest orbs away from the white dragon circling above them. The albino transport seemed in perfect health and gave intermittent squawks upon spotting the girls coming closer to camp.

"_Ah, sou desu ka… It must be a miraculous recovery then. We should be good to go once we've cleaned up this mess. I do hope everyone enjoyed their breakfast."_

He'd been sure to cook an extra-large one so that even Goku could have a third helping if everyone else took seconds for themselves- which they had, including Sanzo. While the high priest had his suspicions that Hakkai continually persisted on slowing down their own mission here and there, he felt there must be a perfectly good reason for it. Amazing, how the three knuckleheads traveling with him placed so much belief in those girls and would slow themselves down.

At least they hadn't forsaken the mission altogether. Not that Sanzo needed them, but orders were orders, even if he hated to follow them. He owed it to the late Koumyou Sanzo, his master, to get things done. Perhaps that was why he withdrew outside help, no matter how genuine or earnest the offers were.

Besides, if the girls were goddesses, then they'd have no problems leaving him the hell alone and watching from the heavens like all the other lazy and immoral immortals. Once their souls were awakened Sanzo knew they'd disappear from his tail forever.

_If_ their souls awakened, he quickly corrected himself, glancing to each side of himself as though he'd spoken the mistake aloud.

_"They don't seem incredibly happy."_ Hakkai observed once the girls' faces came into clear view. He frowned, collecting Goku and Sanzo's emptied tin plates.

_"I wonder if they found the dead demon dudes we left behind." _ Sha Gojyo tossed his cleared dish unceremoniously onto the pile, taking no notice of the soft chiding from the picky Hakkai. Crimson orbs squinted into focus against the rising sun and he grinned around a newly lit cigarette between his lips. "_Check out the new clothes. They look hot."_

_"It's still kinda chilly out; I don't know how they could be hot…"_ Goku trailed off, unable to make sense of the half-blood's perversions so early in the morning. Nobody bothered to correct the heretic and he gave up trying to figure it out.

At the mention of new clothing, Sanzo's gaze flickered pointedly to Hakkai. He had thought the green-eyed demon took longer than usual while he went shopping back at Mannaka ni Machi.

_"Added a little extra to the gold card, didn't you?"_

_"I'm afraid I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about, Sanzo. The girls were staying at someone's home, I'm certain they could have gotten some things from the owner."_ Hakkai smiled brightly. He had already told Sanzo that he'd run into Mandi near the market that day and they'd run into a couple of demons so he walked her back to the place she and the other two were staying. He claimed it was because he wasn't sure if other youkai might be lurking about, it was only to guarantee her safety.

At least most of it had been true. Hakkai merely omitted some of the truth.

Sanzo grunted, standing up to stretch his muscles. "_I'm sure you don't…"_

It had been the attack Hakkai spoke of which Sanzo based his decision on to stay one more night in that town. While they never claimed to be protectors of anyone, and they never fought for anyone but themselves, the monk figured that the demons would just as well stay in Mannaka ni Machi for the pickings…

**One Day Earlier**

What happened the following afternoon only confirmed the monk's thoughts._ Demons had come by the dozens ransacking the village without any mercy for the citizens. It had been a horrible sight, and no matter how many youkai the travelers brought down there always seemed to be more of them crawling out of the woodwork. _

_Hours later there wasn't a soul left alive, not a house or establishment left standing perfectly untouched; save for the four young men standing in the middle of town with sorrowful expressions, everyone had gone. _

_They'd been unable to save anyone within the girth of the village and the remainder of the youkai had escaped. Sanzo didn't find it worthwhile to go after them and instead opted they try to find survivors. _

_Goku had cried out something terrible at all the innocent people slaughtered like wild animals during a hunt. The demons hadn't even tried to take the sutras- they only cared to desecrate the town and everyone in it. Those who were starving cared nothing for spiritual scriptures. _

_While the other three hopelessly went through what once had been a beautiful home for kind people, Hakkai made the short trek to the small house on the outskirts. _

_Maybe…just maybe the youkai had completely overlooked it. And maybe the girls had already left- his heart hadn't beat so hard with hope and prayer in such a long while. _

_He felt the muscle drop to his stomach the moment he turned the bend of the path leading to the house. The door was ajar, the shutters were hanging askew, and one wall had been charred black. _

_An all too familiar sense of dread filled him from the inside out with cold, but Hakkai forced himself to enter the house. He stepped over the scattered things sprawled all over the floor, his eyes unblinking and kept from looking down. Finding a bedroom just down a short hallway, the slender man gasped at what he found. _

_A young boy with dark hair lay with his arms out over an elderly man in his bed. The graying figure on the mattress was clearly dead, several wounds marking his frail and bleeding body. The boy, on the other hand, breathed shallowly, and his deep brown eyes struggled to focus on the figure in the doorway. _

_"Onegai…leave us alone…we're already dead. Onegai…just leave us…alone…" His once spirited voice rasped every breath a clinging thread to life._

_Hakkai knelt by the boy's side, carefully turning him to sit back against the bed. A gaping wound had been torn into his stomach; another deep laceration marked his forehead and matted his locks to his forehead. _

_"I'm not here to hurt you. My name is Hakkai, and I was looking for survivors. The youkai…they got to you, too." He couldn't have healed the boy if he wanted to, not without weakening himself incredibly, or worse, killing himself in the process. It seemed selfish, though Hakkai couldn't afford to feel guilty. He only smiled gently down at the youth hanging on so dearly to what life he had left._

_"Watashi wa…Sana…are they…are they gone now?"_

_"Hai. The demons are gone, Sana. My friends and I made sure of it." Green orbs shone with sympathy for the boy. _

_"The people in town…they're okay?" Sana tried to lift his head though found it too heavy. It was hard enough now to keep his eyes open. _

_Sucking in a sharp breath, Hakkai clenched his jaw and then nodded sullenly. "Hai. They're all okay, Sana-chan."_

_"Good… I'm glad…that my friends…that they got away…before this. They were…so nice to me…" _

_"Your friends?"_

_Sana attempted a smile and it stuck for only half a moment. "Girls…from somewhere far west…couldn't understand their words, demo…they helped me…they left…so they're safe…I'm glad…so glad…"_

_Hakkai didn't respond. There had been no need. Sana exhaled shakily and went limp against the bedside, his eyes dulling and closing to the darkness. The young demon man shut his own eyes, forcing himself to get up and leave the house minutes later to return to Sanzo and the others. _

_He had announced the girls had left some time ago, so they were at least saved from the brutal attack, though made no mention of the boy in the small house on the edge of town. _

_When the party left the demolished Mannaka ni Machi, they each succumbed to the solemnity filling them and hardly spoke a word until they came across the demons who had escaped- trying to attack three sleeping, defenseless young women…_

**Current Day**

_"Is it me, or do they look kinda mad?"_ Goku stood up as well to wave to the girls, though none of them had returned the gesture. Maybe they didn't see him, though they did all seem somewhat ticked off.

Ashley and Mandi slowed themselves and the mounts they lead to a stop once reaching the second camp though Katie only dropped Rose's lead rope and kept on going.

The moment her boot-tip connected with Sanzo's robed rear she found herself staring down the barrel of a shining Smith & Wesson.

Sanzo hadn't so much as made a sound when the woman kicked him, but it had hurt like hell and he wasn't one to get beaten up on for no reason.

"_Touch me one more time and I won't be held responsible if my trigger finger slips."_

"What? Are you gonna shoot me!" The hardness of Katie's words was betrayed by how her voice shook under her anger and her hands balled into fists at her sides. "Then shoot me, god damnit! I dare you!"

All eyes were upon the pair fuming at one another, though nobody thought it too wise to try and interfere just yet unless they felt they wanted to be shot at or kicked, too.

_"Get out of my face."_ Lowering the Shourei, the monk started to turn away from Katie. He hardly thought it worth wasting his breath on someone who couldn't even understand what he said. Had she been able to comprehend their language, Sanzo would have had no problem giving what she had coming.

"Katie, just drop it, okay?" Mandi shouted too late as the older girl snatched the banishing gun from Sanzo's hand and threw it aside in her fury.

The shot cracking sharply through the air brought everyone to attention. Holding deathly still, they each were uncertain if anyone had been hit by the errant bullet.

Amethyst pools slid from person to person, inspecting them before he glanced down at himself. Finding no crimson stains spreading on anyone, he was satisfied that there'd be no blood on his hands today. At least not yet. And with that thought he landed a heavy hand to Katie's left cheek.

A small protest escaped someone watching, though he paid it no mind and went as far to become ignorant to the tears welling up in the stricken girl's eyes.

_"Baka! Do you want to die! Why do you insist on behaving like a spoiled brat? You're worse than the damn monkey!"_

Sanzo's heart raced, pounding as though it might try to escape his chest. What if someone had been hit with that bullet? What if it'd been Hakkai, Goku, or Gojyo? Worse yet, what if it had been on of those godforsaken girls?

No matter how anyone else might have seen it, he'd have blamed himself for not preventing it in the first place.

Katie held a palm to her stinging red cheek as a sob escaped her and tears slipped down her face.

Had she really deserved that?

Then again, how smart had it been to throw a loaded gun?

So, to behave like a child meant to be reprimanded like one?

As Sanzo turned to fetch his carelessly discarded weapon, the twenty-two year old woman stole a glance to her friends.

The pair was frozen in place, uncertain of what to say or do, that much was evident in their eyes.

Gojyo, Hakkai, and Goku were more or less the same, alternating their stares from Katie to Sanzo and back again.

Did that mean they agreed with what Sanzo had done? That what she had done was just plain stupid?

Perhaps it had been, though her emotions had overridden logic. She couldn't think straight in her heightened feelings…and thus a remarkable thing began to take place.

To start it was only a gentle shudder of the ground none paid attention to; the shudder progressed then into a more notable tremor which shifted the sand under everyone's feet. It quickly worsened to a degree where they were forced to take several steps backward, Ashley and Mandi fighting to get the animals to follow suit.

"What is that? An earthquake!" Mandi tightened her grip on Cosa's halter as her younger companion shook her head in equal confusion.

It seemed the others all wondered the same, although the safest bet was that it was all happening around one person.

Katie had gone positively rigid though her head tilted back as though she vied to get a perfect view of the bright domed sky above them. Although she still stood, her entire body had taken to convulsing somewhat violently and her eyes were blank and glassy.

_"Kuso, is she having a seizure?"_ Gojyo shot a glance at Hakkai, one foot already forward to jump forward and grab the shaking young woman.

The brunette quickly pulled the hanyou man back, pushing him to one side as he leapt to another in time to avoid a plunge into a newly formed crevice. The sand rushed down until it formed a three foot gap between the two men and an equal gap between them and where Katie stood.

_"It would appear that way, demo, I'm not sure that is precisely what it is!" _ Hakkai gazed across the way where the remaining girls were, both calling out to their friend though getting no response from her.

_"Goku, bakazaru, move back before you fall in!"_ Sanzo hissed at the heretic, forcing himself to shuffle backward even more as a three foot gap separated him from the blue-eyed woman as well.

He had tried to get closer as well, compelled by whatever amount of humanity still lived in his stone heart, though the constantly moving ground had made it nearly impossible to get too close without risking a perilous fall.

Goku obeyed though had summoned his nyoi-bou in case he needed to use it. Maybe if he extended it someone could walk across and get to Katie, though as sturdy as the weapon was, it hardly was wide enough to keep anyone's balance.

_"It's like everything else is shakin' because of her!" _ He shouted over the increasing roar of the earth ripping itself apart.

Mandi gave the small mare another firm push backward and swiveled her head toward her tawny-headed friend. "Ashley, we need to do _something_! We have to get to her-"

"-I'm not sure we should. On top of that, I don't think we even could. The ground is too broken up, it's not strong enough!" Hazel eyes became more intent on Katie's figure and the pale green glow gradually growing stronger, cloaking her form.

Instantly the girls were reminded of what happened some time before with Erin. At the hotel outside the grand ballroom, nobody could have touched her if they tried their hardest. Goku had attempted and failed- in the end there was damage to the spot where Erin once stood and no girl to show for it. Of course, Kougaiji had run off with a strange burning red orb, which they suspected contained their friend like some sort of strange elemental pokéball.

Kougaiji and Yaone were nowhere in sight this time so they weren't to blame, yet it became obvious something very similar was happening before the girls' eyes.

Even Goku had made the connection, pointing it out enthusiastically to Sanzo even as a familiar fear bounced into his stomach.

Nobody saw what happened to Erin after she vanished from her world. Did she still live inside that strange sphere? Or had something else happened to her?

Gojyo swung ruby eyes across to where Sanzo stood. _"The monkey's right- this is like goddamn déjà vu! We can't even get close to her!"_

The blond growled beneath his breath and warned his companions against pulling any heroics. If they fell in he damn well sure wasn't going in after them, and they'd better not expect him to chant any sutras for their sorry asses either.

They could only watch helplessly…

…and then Mandi lost complete control over Cosa.

"Shit! No, Cosa come back!" The chocolate-trussed woman took several steps forward with a hand out desperately grasping for the lead rope and no thought to the laws of physics and momentum.

Ashley swiped a hand at her friend and missed, swinging her arm back to stop the jennet from running off and watched as Cosa reared before leaping into the chasm, shrieking horribly as she fell.

The lead rope Mandi had a hold of whipped into the air, yanking her arm hard as she launched forward with the pull of the horse's weight- and a hand grabbed at her wrist, tossing her to solid ground.

Dizzied she looked up to see Sanzo's disproving frown and she turned away with a mumble of gratitude before scrambling back up to her feet and rubbing her sore shoulder.

"Poor Cosa…"

Just as suddenly as the smaller mare had, Rose reared and broke free of Ashley's hold. The young woman shouted at the Standard bred, grabbed her halter, jerked forward, and then lost her grip once more.

As a lemming would, the bay stamped into the crevice right after the first horse, eyes rolling back wildly, ears flat against her skull and hooves moving as though she ran an invisible descending track.

It was then that the pillar of sand Katie convulsed upon crumbled and sent the girl plummeting in after her horses, her body falling with as much elasticity as a rag doll.

Even the priest could not retain his shout of surprise.

Was this more blood on his hands? Did he bring this on by being too hard on her?

But she really could have caused someone to get hurt…the defense seemed rather lame compared to what just unfolded before their eyes.

He flung out an arm to keep Mandi from getting too close to the edge. _"Don't be stupid, you'll die if you try to follow!"_

Her eyes narrowed- she didn't need to understand the words to know the tone and know that he was right. She looked across the gap in the earth separating her from Ashley, though the blond young woman had her own eyes focused on the sky.

"What the hell is _that_?"

Gojyo, Goku, and Hakkai lifted their chins, eyes widening as a sphere emanating green shot from the heavens to speed into the crevasse.

All at once the tremors calmed leaving nothing but the gaping hole in their wake.

_"Do ya think she's dead?"_ Goku meant no disrespect though being blunt had always been his way of expressing what went on in his mind. He winced as Gojyo swatted the back of his head, the hanyou being the only ones aside from Sanzo and Mandi not separated by a gap in the ground. "_Itai! Stupid hentai kappa!"_

Gojyo had no smirk on his lips- he'd taken no pleasure in hitting Goku because this time he had actually meant it.

Sanzo and Hakkai shared the same countenance as he, each gazing down into the abyss in wonderment to what just transpired. In a way it felt the same as watching all those innocent people being murdered in Mannaka ni Machi… helpless and weak.

_"Hontou ni nai…"_ Sanzo negated the primate-like youth's question after a moment of deliberation.

He had felt the barest of quivers beneath his sandals.

_"Perhaps it's an aftermath."_ Hakkai murmured thoughtfully having noticed how the ground slowly built back up its quivering.

Mandi risked a peek into the blackness and incidentally caught sight of a faint glimmer.

"Ashley! Can you see that?"

The younger forced the mule to back up before she leaned forward some, minding that she did not tumble in. The sand gave way at her toes, though the ground remained intact as a whole where she stood- and she saw it a moment later: a bright, grass-green blaze rushing back to the surface.

"No way…"

Hooves pounding the earth muffled the sounds of whinnies and whickers growing closer with each passing second.

_"Move your ass!"_ Sanzo ordered, shoving the brunette girl back as he leapt away as well. The others did the same in the nick of time.

No sooner than they fell away did an earth-made chariot drawn by brilliant emerald horses burst free from the pit like Hades from his Underworld when he came to claim Persephone as his own.

Driving the chariot was a female clothed in Katie's traveling garments, though she had definitely changed. Her shoulder length hair had grown root-brown to her waist and had thin slivers of ivy-vines interwoven with the tresses.

"Is that her? That's _Katie?_" The disbelief lacing Mandi's question rang clear to anyone who heard it, whether they understood her or not.

The woman directing her steeds to a smooth halt just behind where Gojyo and Goku were looked like someone they never met before- yet she still resembled the girl who had fallen into the mini-canyon.

Ashley raised a brow thinking she should pinch herself to find out whether or not she'd been dreaming everything, though she figured she should have done that the moment the girls found themselves in a place thought only to exist in an anime.

"Maybe it's not her…not anymore."

The woman had Katie's face yet it seemed to have conformed into one more befitting of the people representing Togenkyo. Her blue eyes had taken on shades of green and gleamed like a multi-faceted jewel and upon her forehead rested a crimson chakra bordered with smaller markings.

In general, she appeared in better spirits than Katie had been after being slapped by Genjyo Sanzo.

_"Katie-san?"_ Hakkai offered, breaking the silence with an unsure smile.

She glanced at him and shrugged a shoulder. "_I was…demo now I am Shiina Lian, Hakkai-san."_

_"Ah…"_ Jade orbs rounded when it hit him. He had understood every word she said as if she'd spoken the language her entire life.

"_You've gotta be kidding me." _ Sanzo pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead, fingers furling into his blond locks in frustration.

He had known this would happen all along but thought denying it would make it impossible to happen. He hadn't wanted anyone's help and doing the bidding of the gods was ridiculous when they could have clearly done it themselves.

Katie, rather Lian, gave the priest a smug smile. "_I kid you not, monk. Are you finally convinced? Have we proved to you that we're the real deal? Or do you need to see Mandi and Ashley change first?"_

_"I know I'm convinced."_ Gojyo raised a hand as he nodded. It was surreal to watch an ordinary girl change into something of such power.

_"You look like a fish, Red. Shut your mouth." _ Lian winked at him in good humor though saw the hanyou do just as she told him. She turned, facing Mandi and Ashley. "_Gomen, if I scared you both. It was kind of scary, demo, it's not so bad now, really. So what do you think of the new look? Pretty snazzy, right?"_

She proceeded in showing off her look, not realizing how lost her friends really were.

"Mandi?" Ashley turned her head to the other girl.

"Eh?" Mandi answered with raised eyebrows.

"Can you translate anything she just said?"

"Umm, she apologized for something and then asked us a question, but I don't know what. It's all Chinapanese to me, sorry."

The reborn Elemental tilted her head to one side curiously. "_You don't know what I said, do you? I heard everything you said and you have no clue what I told you? That's not fair! Who made up these stupid rules?"_

_"I'd say join the club, honey, though it looks like ya got us at a slight disadvantage. At least ya can understand them. We can't." _ The hanyou shrugged as he pat his pockets in search for another cigarette- he'd lost the first one during the earthquake.

Sanzo ground his teeth together.

So he looked the fool before all else for refusing to believe the girls were the elementals, even though he had known deep inside that Kanzeon hadn't sent him on a crap side mission. He just hadn't wanted it to be true- hadn't wanted to owe anything to the women who would eventually turn into goddesses and leave everyone in the dust.

His stubborn streak remained if only to hide his bruised ego. _"Don't think this changes anything. You made your point- you exist. Good for you. Your friends need you more than we do. Stay with them."_

_"They'd need me anyway, Sanzo-sama. I'm their new transportation. In case you hadn't noticed, my babies are those emerald horses attached to the chariot. Don't get so caught up in your self importance; it detracts from that pretty face of yours."_

_"Urusai!"_ Sanzo narrowed his eyes, turning away as a tinge of pink touched his otherwise pale cheeks. _"Hakkai, get Hakuryuu ready. We're leaving."_

_"Of course."_ Hakkai nodded, calling out to the albino dragon that had cleverly avoided the entire mess of earthquakes and falling into pits.

Lian gazed at the wounded earth and moved a palm out in front of her in a circular motion. The sand ran together, quickly repairing itself until no sign of what happened existed. Content, she motioned for either Ashley or Mandi to join her on the chariot. The remaining would have to ride the mule alongside.

"_Who's coming with me?"_

Mandi and Ashley lifted their eyes from the restored ground and gazed emptily back at her wishing she had retained the ability to speak English as well.

"This is gonna be fun." Mandi forced a laugh as an impatient Lian guided her onto the chariot. The dark haired girl gripped the side of it so hard her knuckles turned white.

Ashley sighed as she mounted the jennet. "Tons, I'm sure."

Nobody knew who would be the first among them to change- they assumed it would happen all at the same time. While they both harbored a slight bitterness to remaining just normal young women, they also kept an anxiety of who would change next. Little did they know how quickly their time would come.


	9. Torrent

**Chapter Nine**

**Torrent**

**Tenkai, Lotus Throne**

A single painted fingertip tapped lightly against the smooth cheek of Kanzeon Bosatsu. The bodhisattva wore a smile which belonged to those who had been recently amused, and for very good reason.

She had just witnessed the first of her three elementals' rebirth- the Earthen Mother, Shina Lian, finally broke free of her reincarnated mortal shell.

It had occurred when the goddess wasn't paying very much attention.

In fact, Kanzeon was positive she'd nearly dozed off in her seat with her indigo eyes trained on the endless expanse of that damnable blue sky.

The shudder of the Lower World had brought her back to her senses, what little she admitted to having, and just in time for the Elemental Earth Sphere to lift from its holding pedestal.

Astounded, and immensely pleased, Kanzeon watched the orb make a beeline toward the ground where the sand had crumbled in upon itself.

She had heard the whinnies of Lian's once-mortal steeds as they returned in emerald glory, towing their Mistress upon her standing carriage.

Smugly, the immortal sat back against her throne and crossed one leg over the other, turning her gaze upon Jiroushin.

He was just entering the vicinity and appeared perplexed by the goddess' expression.

"You look victorious, Merciful Goddess."

An aptly put statement, she thought.

"Indeed I should. It seems our dear Konzen has at last understood that sometimes a little faith can go a long way."

The elder servant's eyes rounded, turning for the viewing pond. He could see nothing; however he was certain that something substantial had just taken place.

"He believes now?"

"One might say that." Kanzeon lifted a brow at her company.

Jiroushin tried not to scowl at his charge.

"Hadn't we discussed your vagueness before, Merciful Goddess?"

She turned her cherry-red lips into a pout. "Oh, but you're just _so much fun_ to play these kinds of games with, you know. Very well, I'll give you a hint. Notice anything…missing?"

The silver-maned servant followed the gesture of Kanzeon's bangled arm and nearly immediately discovered something awry.

One of the three pedestals no longer contained an Elemental Sphere.

"My goodness, one of them has actually awakened?!"

"You sound surprised." The bodhisattva stood away from her seat, smoothing down the silk gauze gown draping her curved figure. "Did you honestly believe it wouldn't happen? Don't tell me you've been a skeptic all this time."

"Of course not." He bowed his head to her briefly before raising his grey-green eyes to the dark haired woman. "It is wonderful news; it should only be a matter of time before the other two fully awaken."

There was no need for confirmation of this.

With the awakening of Lian would follow the rebirths of Jiang Miyoko and Yu Michiko in rapid succession. It was simply the way the Elementals worked; when one appeared it sent a spiritual message- a cosmic calling card- to the souls of the rest.

Granted, the exception in this case had been the unintentionally ignited flame of Huo Kumiko.

That had been forced and played an entirely different set of rules.

Forced awakenings meant it would take longer for the Elemental's vessel to change, to conform, and to come into their power where the natural process allowed for it to take place straight away.

Unfortunately, Kumiko had already developed fully and if put into the wrong hands was pit against her 'sisters', the battle could prove deadly for the opposition.

Kanzeon reserved some anxiety that the Fire Element may either break free from the tethers Kougaiji held on her to act out independently- Fire had a terrible history and often became angry if she could not do as she pleased.

Apart from that, the Merciful Goddess found no threat in Huo Kumiko.

Not just yet.

If Miyoko and Michiko could awaken before any enemies set their plans in motion, some time might be allotted.

Let that hard-headed nephew of hers complain all he wanted.

Dignity and stubbornness meant nothing to the defeated, and it was not Kanzeon's intentions to allow her misfit crew to fail.

Even the most courageous of men found cowardice within their hearts, and even the strongest must turn to another for aid.

She smiled faintly, turning toward Jiroushin. A sudden urge had overcome her.

"Care for a game of chess?"

Shangri La 

The arrival at the next town was a welcomed one for all involved.

Sanzo didn't know if he could withstand the backseat bickering much longer before he really did lose his cool and shot both Gojyo and Goku to hell.

Regardless of long he'd already put up with the pair- let alone his group as a whole- the priest had a headache that wouldn't quit, and her name happened to be Shina Lian. The kappa and the monkey weren't really making matters any better, and if Hakkai laughed it off one more time, Sanzo might have considered putting _him_ out of his misery, too.

Before he had much time to actually move a hand into his robes for the Smith & Wesson pistol, however, Hakkai announced that town was in eyeshot.

Goku and Gojyo quit arguing over who won what hand of poker, forgetting that someone cheated and the other made accusations.

Now, all they thought of was food and decent beds to sleep on, and rest from the wilderness.

The thundering of eight hooves striking the ground approached from behind the stopped jeep, skidding to a halt nearly directly at the vehicle's bumper.

Lian commanded her horses to stand before she climbed down from her chariot.

Sanzo bowed his head- not in prayer- more in self-restraint.

It was worse now, being able to understand her again.

While Hakkai viewed the improved communication as a blessing, the monk only wanted to go somewhere isolated and bury his business into a newspaper, coffee, and ashtray.

Whatever that woman, that self-proclaimed deity, had to say, he didn't want to hear it.

"_Sanzo?"_

_"What?!"_ The blond snapped, jerking his head up to see the brunette driver gazing at him with concern in his green eyes.

Wrong person to shout at, but it felt good all the same.

Hakkai forced a smile.

"_Should we go check in before the rooms are all taken?"_

_"Yeah, let's hurry before I starve! I'm wasting away here!" _ The voice could only belong to Goku, who had hopped out of the jeep and picked up his bags with eagerness.

Gojyo followed suit, though not without rubbing his hands over his rear. "_I think the terrain was bumpier than usual- my ass hurts. Hakkai, can't ya drive smoother than that? The boys don't like bein' jerked around unless it's by a hot woman."_

The priest moved out from his seat, shooting a glare at the redhead before going inside of the inn. He had nothing to say that wouldn't already be declared by Goku or Hakkai.

Reaching the reception desk, Sanzo handed the woman behind it his gold card. "_Four singles, if it's at all possible."_

The receptionist gazed at him with large eyes- clearly she recognized the blonde's status, however she merely nodded and recorded the card number, placing charges on for the requested rooms.

_"It wouldn't kill you to be more polite, priest."_

Sanzo gritted his teeth as his gaze slipped to the side.

Lian stood beside him, smiling.

Gods, she annoyed the hell out of him.

_"If you're looking for a handout, forget it. Get your own rooms, your own way."_

_"I had no intentions of mooching off you, blondie, so don't jump to conclusions. We'll make do."_ Lian rolled her eyes, sweeping a hand over a lock of hair that had covered her Elemental chakra.

Grumbling, the priest collected his card and the four room keys and turned away from the young woman.

If luck was on his side- which it rarely was- the girls would stay elsewhere.

Walking back out onto the deck of the inn, Sanzo handed out three keys and searched for a cigarette.

He paid no mind to Ashley and Mandi, who both stood idly by their transportation.

If he didn't look at them then he wouldn't be obligated to feel guilty that they might have to sleep outside again.

As far as he was concerned, nobody twisted their arms into coming to Shangri La.

Nevertheless, on occasion, the monk felt a pang of remorse for how much he had doubted the three.

When Lian had emerged from the sand it became painfully obvious that Kanzeon Bosatsu spoke the truth; that the young women were Elemental Goddesses of this world awaiting rebirth.

If there was anything Sanzo despised more than being irritated or badmouthed, it was being proven wrong.

Scornfully, the blond turned his back on the others.

"_I'm going to my room."_

Abashed, Goku complained loudly about his grumbling stomach, but Hakkai rested a hand on his companion's shoulder.

_"I'll fix us something to eat, Goku, so just be patient until then."_

_"Well I'm gonna scope the town then, see what's good."_ Gojyo pocketed his keys, took out his wallet to check how much yen he had remaining, and then waved at the others.

The girls had no money- that much the guys knew; despite Lian's pride and insistence that they'd get by, Gojyo had decided he could help out.

Going to a bar or local tavern to check out the card tables seemed his best bet. If only Hakkai would stoop to gambling to make that extra buck, they'd really reap the benefits of a partner game.

Nonetheless, the brunette had declined, stating that the best way he could be of any assistance was by making certain the young women had a decent meal- even if they did have their own supplies.

Sanzo wouldn't protest much about it- he had no place to after their recent event.

Hakkai cast an amiable smile toward Lian as the young woman emerged from the inn, moving past her to go on indoors after Hakuryuu transformed into his dragon body.

_"Do you still need any help with rooming? You're perfectly welcome to share with us again if it comes to it."_

Lian shook her head, a defiant gleam in her changed eyes. _"Iie, we'll be just fine so don't worry about it. Besides, Sanzo made it clear that we aren't welcome to his charity. Even so, it'd be nice to join you for supper."_

_"Of course. Give it half an hour or so."_ Hakkai nodded, wishing that the newly birthed goddess would relinquish such stubbornness. It wasn't going to help her friends in any case.

His emerald orbs washed over Mandi and then Ashley before he ushered Goku in through the foyer and lobby, leaving the girls to their own devices.

Lian sauntered up to her friends, placing a hand on the neck of one of her earthly-green mares.

How frustrating to suddenly find herself in the position the Sanzo-ikkou had been in since they came back to Shangri La.

The language barrier only become more troublesome- leastways, it did when it came to speaking to her friends. However, her transformation from mortal Katie to immortal Shina Lian had offered a ray of hope: anything that Ashley or Mandi needed said to the four men could be relayed quite easily.

Though that put the remaining two at a disadvantage- Mandi currently worried that their friend, renowned for her mischief, might slip something up to Hakkai that shouldn't be mentioned.

Katie had a keenness for 'meddling' in the lives of her friends when she thought a certain two ought to be 'together'; Lian would undoubtedly behave no differently. That trait probably came right from the soul of the Earth Elemental to begin with.

Ashley was less preoccupied with such things, although Lian could just as easily blab to Gojyo a few tidbits of information that might make the hanyou quite optimistic. Nevertheless, the youngest girl figured that it wouldn't be so- not if Lian wanted to keep her body parts intact.

Immortal or not, the hazel-eyed young woman could take down anyone who crossed her path- at least, that's what she perceived of herself and she had no problem letting everyone else know it.

"So what are we going to do about rooms tonight?" Hazel-green eyes darted away from Mandi to focus on Lian.

At the very least she could understand- the problem arose with responding.

Lian sighed, making a stationary circle to observe their surroundings. Her shoulders shrugged, as though she were willing to simply do without actual shelter. However, the Elemental wondered if she could work for the money to put them up for a night- it'd be considerably easier now that she spoke and understood the language.

Even so, that didn't mean she'd make enough money for all three of them, and it really depended on what kind of job she took up for the night- if she did that at all.

Besides, her pride as an Elemental Goddess came with a preconception that she ought not have to work terribly hard in the mortal world. The once-mortal inside of her, though, knew that until her friends changed, they'd be trapped in the Lower World and thus hard work would be most effective.

Mandi leaned against the long wooden rail of the inn's deck, arms crossing over the pack she held.

"What's the shrug mean? You don't know, or you don't care, or you're thinking..?"

She sounded strained and Lian shot a dubious stare.

Why the hell should everything be left up to her, anyway?

_"Just because I'm the only one who can speak the language it doesn't mean I should have to do everything!" _Her eyes flashed defiantly before she calmed down. It wasn't their fault, and she knew that- but it frustrated Lian to no end that after all their trials and tribulations thus far, she'd been the only one to change.

Extreme emotion obviously initiated the awakening, which explained why Katie had transformed so suddenly into Shina Lian- but her friends hadn't undergone the same current of emotion as she did.

They both stared at her looking as lost as she'd felt only the day before.

Ashley frowned, glancing to Mandi and then back to the older girl.

"Well you're clearly pissed off about something, but don't take it out on us. We're just as lost, remember?"

Lian narrowed her eyebrows though nodded her understanding.

So what were they going to do?

Go to work?

Should they sell themselves?

She laughed under her breath at that- no, the latter wasn't even an option for more than one reason.

It was morally degrading and it'd open a whole can of worms that her mortal memories would rather not dredge up- plus Ashley and Mandi would hopefully never dare stoop that low, no matter how hard up for cash they got.

Cards?

None of the girls were that good _or_ that lucky.

Her eyes returned to the inn.

_"Sanzo isn't going to help out. Maybe we could camp outside of town…"_

"Mandi? Any clue to what she just said?" Ashley gave the brunette an inquisitive gaze.

The almond-eyed twenty one year old shook her head.

"Just something about Sanzo, but I guess you figured that much. I'm willing to bet he's still not on our side, which isn't surprising."

Lian confirmed the statement with a brief nod and Mandi continued while pacing the small area the three stood in.

"I'd say that maybe we could ask to each stay in one of the rooms with the guys like we did the last time…though that puts _them_ at risk to Sanzo's wrath, not to mention we'd be kinda asking a lot from them. Otherwise, I don't see another alternative to working our asses off for some money or camping out."

Well, at least somebody was on the same page as Lian.

That didn't give up any new ideas, though, which landed them back on square one.

Ashley pushed a hand through her mussed dirty blond hair, perturbed by their situation.

"Maybe we can do like we did at Sana's house? Offer to clean in exchange for a place to sleep for the night, or maybe to do their chores…but it might be too late in the day to make such an offer."

The suggestion seemed to be the only idea that any of the girls could come up with, but asking for board for the night of a complete stranger in exchange for doing housework might not go over well with many people.

However…

Mandi stared long and hard at the inn, pondering.

Lian followed her younger friend's gaze and arched a brow in consideration.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Mandi probed, curious to know if the gears in her mind were cranking out the same idea or not.

The awakened deity tilted her head toward the establishment, waiting for the rest of this concept to be spoken aloud.

There wasn't any use in replying verbally on Lian's part- not if her friends had no clue what she said.

Turning an imploring smile toward Ashley, Mandi continued.

"What if we see if we can work at the inn tonight in exchange for a room? We'd only need one- maybe a double. Two of us could have the bed and one on the floor- we'll draw straws or something for that."

Ashley considered it and figured any other possibility of getting work may be slim to none. Working the inn couldn't be too terrible especially if Lian explained that the other two didn't speak or understand much of the language.

"They probably have a restaurant inside- or maybe we could tidy up rooms. I don't see why we couldn't ask them."

Hazel orbs fell on the eldest girl.

Content that they all had come to an agreement, Lian held up her hand, motioning for them to wait while she went inside to see about working for a night.

A mere few minutes later, Lian emerged from the entrance, a smile wide across her face.

They were in luck- the restaurant was short a waitress who was too ill to work that evening; they needed another maid to help with the rooms because there were people coming in for a bon festival from the next town over and the hostess had quit that morning.

Lian volunteered herself for the waitress position- it would probably work best if the person taking food orders knew what was being ordered…after all, it was all 'Chinapanese' to her friends.

That left the temp positions as hostess and maid…of which she already had an idea of who should do which part.

"Well I guess we're in luck, judging by Katie…er, Lian's big, goofy grin." Mandi caught her mistake- the deity in their friend decided her name should be known as Shina Lian from now on. She'd corrected everyone each time they called her by her 'mortal name'.

Ashley shrugged, tethering the mule to a nearby horse post. "The question is what do we have to do? I won't complain- just as long as we're guaranteed a bed for the night. We're gonna run into this problem at every town we hit if we don't get hopping to changing like Katie had."

Mandi hummed in quiet concurrence as she tethered Rose and Cosa. Her eyes traveled over the faintly glowing mares- no matter their appearance, it'd be too difficult to call them by any other name. She supposed Lian would feel the same, though perhaps as Elemental familiars they would be birthed with new names more befitting.

_"Come on and get in here! We have to start right away and get changed into uniform!" _

Lian eagerly waved at the two girls, urging them to hurry inside.

The three plodded into the lobby where the inn's concierge- a tall, thin, balding man- waited, looking over each of them.

He'd already been informed of the situation and concluded that Lian was best suited as a waitress, as she'd already deduced, and gave her the proper uniform- a knee length, short sleeved blue tunic and skirt embroidered with silver and green lotus blossoms. The Elemental thought it rather pretty for a waitress' dress and she took it gladly.

_"What about them?" _ The concierge motioned almost impatiently toward Mandi and Ashley who glanced between each other in confusion.

They prayed they wouldn't have to wear that kind of uniform, too.

"_Ashley should most likely be the fill-in hostess, since she'll get to wear pants and all she'd have to do is show people to their seats."_ Lian began, motioning to the blond young woman before she beckoned to the brunette. _"And Mandi will be the extra helping hand- she can understand some of the language and the numbers of the rooms shouldn't be a problem for her."_

_"Very well." _ The thin man nodded and motioned for the two others to follow him after ordering Lian to change and report to the restaurant's kitchen.

The girls obediently, yet warily, fell in step with the long-striding man, stopping only when he brought them to a supply closet. He pivoted on his heel, eyeballing the young women to assess their sizes and then disappeared into the closet.

When he popped out there were two uniforms in hand and he gave each girl their respective borrowed clothing.

_"Go and change and then meet me back here."_ The concierge did a rough pantomime of what he wanted them to do, pointing toward a small public bathroom across the hallway.

"I think that means we go change…" Mandi murmured, heading off for the bathroom as she looked down at her uniform draped over one arm and balanced her travel pack over the opposite shoulder.

Ashley studied the clothing she held as well. "At least I don't have to wear what Lian is wearing- I'd have to shoot her with Sanzo's gun if I was forced to wear a dress that short."

The dark haired girl laughed as they entered the bathroom. "You'd shoot her for having to wear a dress _anyway_, never mind that it's too short. "

"Very true. So what's your sentence?" The younger glanced over at her friend.

"I'm not sure yet, but it's definitely a skirt. I'll live- not like I didn't go prancing around in one across Shangri La for the first couple days anyway. I wonder what we're supposed to do with our stuff, though."

Mandi set her pack down beside Ashley's before they went into individual stalls to change.

They found it entertaining, how much of Shangri La reminded them of the world they had come from- so much was shared in commonplace buildings and commodities, but nothing could compare to the experiences they were enduring so far.

Ashley shed her dusty clothing and put on the silk tunic and pants that were the same color and design as the waitress uniform Lian had to wear. The tunic, however, was long sleeved and cuffed off at the wrists- of which she was gratuitous about. Revealing clothing just wasn't her cup of tea.

She stepped out, washing up in the sink in front of the mirror and redid her ponytail to at least seem presentable before she turned to the stall her friend still hadn't come out of.

"Did you fall in, or what?"

"I totally don't even want to come out. This is embarrassing…" Mandi all but whined, which wasn't terribly characteristic of her unless in jest.

With piqued curiosity, Ashley laughed shortly and tapped her foot. "Come on, it can't be that bad. Remember, if we don't do this we don't have anywhere to stay tonight."

Groaning in protest, Mandi reluctantly came out of the stall, keeping her head bowed.

She'd let her hair down to curtain her beet red cheeks because what she wore could very well be classified as more provocative than what Lian had to wear…all depending on who saw it that way.

"Apparently they adapted to a more Western style when it came to their maid outfits, didn't they?" The brown-eyed girl pouted, looking up dejectedly- and she caught her image in the mirror. "Oh my god, this sucks! I look like a _**two-Franc hooker**_!"

Ashley stifled a giggle, clamping her hand over her mouth. Indeed, Mandi had to wear the classic 'French-maid' uniform, although it was modified to a slightly longer cut and was more modest about what skin was revealed.

"Either you've been hired to clean, or you're the inn's whore for the night."

"That's not funny!" But Mandi laughed along with her companion anyhow as she put her hair up into a messy bun.

Stuffing their traveling clothes into their bags, the girls reported out to the concierge, who was at last kind enough to offer his name.

He pointed to them first, repeating the girls' names as Lian had told him and then gestured to himself. _"Watashi wa Himura-san. I'll store your belongings in the closet here-"_ He moved to take the packs which were reluctantly given up. _"-and at the end of the night, you'll get them back and be shown to a room."_

The girls exchanged a confused glance, though the meaning of Himura's gestures dawned on them simultaneously. Complying with the fairness of their situation, the pair were led first to the dining area where a podium stood in the entrance-way.

Himura motioned to Ashley, wanting her to stand behind it, and then he gestured to a seating chart- a simple 'map' of tables inside the dining room covered by clear plastic. A marker, not unlike dry-erase, lay beside the paper layout.

"_You have very little to worry over…just show the guests…to their seats…and mark the tables here…that are occupied…then clean them off when the guests have left."_ Himura used Mandi as a prop, taking her lightly by the arm as if she were a guest, motioning toward a table and then took up a marker to cross off the respective table on the map. Then he pretended to lead Mandi out of the room, signifying a departing guest, and used a cloth atop the podium to erase the mark he'd made. _"Understand?"_

"Um…hai." Ashley nodded.

The job seemed easy enough. She showed people to a table and kept track of who came and went. No real communication was necessary, though that didn't guarantee that she wouldn't have to speak eventually. Nevertheless, the young woman wouldn't complain about it- they'd be getting room and board tonight, which was far better than sleeping outside, unprotected from the youkai.

Granted, Lian could put up more than a fair fight considering her abilities, but she hadn't had long to become accustomed to it. Less than a full day's practice hardly made up for twenty two years of being only mortal.

Being indoors, in town on top of that, just made for a safer environment.

Satisfied that she understood her responsibilities, Ashley let on a brief and tight smile to Himura and gave Mandi a short wave as the concierge led the brunette away.

Mandi looked over her shoulder, calling out a 'see you later' to her friend.

Her attention snapped to Himura as he brought her to who she assumed was head-maid; the other woman appeared in her early thirties, was short of stature and wore her black hair in a short bob surrounding a heart-shaped face.

_"Himura-san."_ The maid bowed respectfully to the concierge in greeting.

The thin man returned the gesture and got down to business. _"Mina-san, this is Mandi-san; she is temporarily lending her services to us tonight as a means to pay for a room this evening. From what I have come to understand, she does not speak or comprehend very much of our language, demo, she does know a little bit. The woman she travels with has told me that she will be able to do her duty if you simply tell her the rooms in need of preparation."_

_"Hai, I understand, sir."_ The maid bowed her head once more as Himura left them and then she turned to Mandi, giving the young woman a skeptical once over.

Mandi smiled amiably, mostly out of nerves and partly because she didn't want to come off as completely stupid- though she wondered if smiling despite her lack of full comprehension only made her come off as even lamer.

_"Kon'nichi wa…_um…_Onegai, onamae wa?"_ Hopefully she hadn't completely butchered the sentence structure, though she hadn't ever gotten terribly far in the little Japanese that she'd learned.

Thankfully it was just enough to earn a faint smile from the maid, who introduced herself as Mina as she went about gathering cleaning supplies to place upon a small cart for the new charge.

Sighing with some relief that the woman didn't completely bite her head off- though Mina really didn't look like she could do anyone much harm unless they were bite size- Mandi accepted the cart and waited for the list of rooms. It turned out fairly short, though the amount of cleaning in each more than likely would make up for that.

_"Arigatou gozaimasu, Mina-sempai."_ Remembering to bow her head to who should be considered her boss, the almond-eyed girl moved off for her duties.

Ashley stood at the podium in the inn's restaurant, quite bored, and found herself doodling random things on the edge of the laminated table chart. All of the patrons who cared for dinner had arrived before she did- or at least, all of them thus far, and she had nothing to do but stare out at the lobby in front of her and occasionally glance over her shoulder.

On the other hand, she wasn't positive if she'd want to switch places with Lian or Mandi- definitely due to the outfits both of them had to wear.

Turning to look back at a noise from a table behind her, Ashley arched her brow and tried to keep from laughing as she saw Lian- the Elemental Goddess of Earth- struggling to balance three large trays on her arms. The noise had been Lian cursing aloud, very much to the shock of the guests she served.

No- Ashley wouldn't dare offer switching places- if it was that hectic for Lian who could understand the guests, she didn't even want to start thinking about how crazy it might get if in Lian's place.

Exhaling heavily, the blond girl stared forward again, the smile from her brief bout with amusement fading with her growing boredom.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard a voice seemingly directed at her. The young woman had to force herself to blink away the blankness in her eyes and swiveled her gaze to the speaker.

Her eyebrows arched.

The entirety of the Sanzo party stood in front of the podium, and all save the priest stared back with growing amusement at her position.

"What, haven't you ever seen someone work before?" Ashley scowled and then lowered her attention to the table chart on the podium's surface.

A bout of snickering rose from Gojyo and Goku- they found it quite funny that the girls were carousing about the inn wearing uniforms- though Gojyo also thought it very becoming.

_"The uniform only makes ya cuter, honey. So where do we sit?"_

Ashley looked up briefly. "Right…like I know what you even said. Of all places, you chose to eat here…"

The four young men exchanged puzzled looks, though it was the least of Sanzo's worries that the girl didn't sound terribly happy to see them there.

Truthfully, Sanzo had hoped to have supper prepared by Hakkai, however it became evident that a little bottomless pit of a monkey had dug into their supplies, leaving the monocle-wearing youkai lacking in ingredients.

His violet orbs flitted toward Gojyo in mild disdain. It'd be a more peaceful dining, or so the priest wagered, if the hanyou hadn't returned from the bars. Apparently nobody was interested in gambling with reason that festivities were starting up soon. Rather than spend good yen on cards, the townsfolk wanted to save up for games on a midway.

Suddenly more impatient, he slapped his harisen down across the podium ledge, motioning to her to hurry up. He wasn't going to out-and-out admit that he was half-starved but he really didn't have the patience to stand there like a moron while she tried to figure out where to have them sit.

_"Could you take any longer?" _He muttered.

She got the picture and gave him a glare that could have melted ice.

"I'm about sick of you…" Ashley muttered and straightened her back, turning to lead them to an empty table.

If it hadn't been for the other three being innocent of Sanzo's horrid mood, the young woman would gladly have stuck them at the farthest corner of the room, way back where the light hardly reached. Just to be mean- just for a little payback of the monk's attitude toward the girls during their trying ordeal.

"This way, then." She motioned and after a second's hesitation, the group followed. Bringing them to an empty table, Ashley glanced down at the table chart in her free hand, marking off the one she chose to seat them at.

Sanzo grumbled beneath his breath as he sat, most likely a complaint of their position, however he didn't demand to be seated anywhere else and sat quietly as the young woman handed him his menu. Violet orbs remained downcast, trained on the selection list.

"_Ne, Sanzo!! Can I get anything I wanna get?" _ Goku's voice piped up, his golden orbs peering overtop the menu at the grumpy priest. "_They have sukiyaki an' I haven't had that in a long time!! An' I want the fried chicken, an' the spring rolls, an'- itai!!! What'd ya do that for, stupid roach?"_

Ashley had handed a menu to Hakkai and Gojyo in succession and forced herself to refrain from laughing too hard when the hanyou promptly used his as a means to slapping the heretic across the head.

Smirking, the redhead shrugged, opening his menu as he replied nonchalantly. "_I just felt like it, chimpy, so why don't ya just shaddup and wait 'til our waitress comes before ya start runnin' your goddamn annoying mouth?" _

Hakkai sighed, shaking his head while displaying a stressed smile. These two would never learn how to just get along- However that certainly would make for a dreadfully boring journey if they were always quiet.

Having made certain that each of the young travelers had no problems with their table, and had all gotten a menu, Ashley began to turn away- and felt the grip of a large palm and long fingers on her wrist.

Hazel eyes widening, the twenty year old tilted her chin in Sha Gojyo's direction. He winked at her as an easy, crooked smile flitted over his lips.

_"Arigatou, honey. S'all I really wanted to say."_ He released her wrist, nearly making a show of dragging his fingertips down across her hand before turning back toward his menu.

Having thought there was probably something she had missed after 'Arigatou', and getting the feeling it may have been flirtatious, Ashley faced forward again, quickly, to hide the blush that was surely creeping up the back of her neck towards her cheeks.

She rarely got that flustered; rarely by some man, at that.

Though Sha Gojyo wasn't just 'some man'. The young woman had come to terms with the idea of maybe staying in Shangri La. After all, being elemental goddesses seemed like a full time job, which definitely made it seem that returning to their alternate world was more and more improbable. With that byte of information lodged deeply in her logic, Ashley wondered if it really would be terrible to accept that Gojyo flirted with her…that he was interested in her. Maybe not, because it was hardly a secret to most that she found him irresistible and incredibly sexy.

Reaching the podium the ash-blond discovered that her cheeks were more on fire than they were just a moment ago. She'd better snap out of this daze, especially while working. It wouldn't do if she couldn't earn her keep because she'd uncharacteristically drifted off to La-La-Land.

Shaking her mentality Ashley set the table chart back on the podium and drummed her fingers upon the ledge, listening to the bantering of a kappa and a monkey. It caused a chuckle to pass her lips; despite the time the girls had spent in this strange land already, she didn't think that she could get over being smack-dab in the middle of this group's dangerous journey. Hearing them argue and watching them interact with each other, and then even with the girls themselves, entertained Ashley time and time again.

Having been caught up in the fantasies of her mind, not excluding anything considered improper and concerning a certain man with a crimson mane, she nearly ignored the next guests standing impatiently in front of her.

An elderly man with feathered, bushy, white eyebrows and balding head trimmed by thick tufts of salt-and-peppered black hair stood robustly, his thick hands resting on his belly. He wore finely tailored clothing; a silky gold and white shirt beneath a crisp linen black jacket resembling a cassock and black slacks completed by newly shined black shoes. Charcoal eyes, small and fastidious, peered down from a height at least two heads taller than she- and standing around five foot ten, Ashley was far from average height for a woman.

_"Are you stupid, woman? Don't stand there and gawk at me. I want my usual seat."_ His voice boomed, resonating in her ears in all of its demanding tone, filling the small restaurant space.

What had he asked? Either way, Ashley knew he had meant to be insulting, and his tone had done very little to smooth her ruffled feathers, caused just by his overwhelming appearance.

Clearing her throat she gave him a stern glance, turning on her heels to move toward a table for him. This guy had to be a big shot, what with the way he carried his massive weight, his chin held high and hands holding his belly as though it may pop out between the buttons of his shirt and jacket. From the way he walked behind her, Ashley could nearly feel the vibrations of the steps pounding on the carpeted flooring.

_"What's wrong with you?! My table is not there- it's this way! Are you new?"_

As he spoke again, Ashley turned, nearly colliding with the large man and scowled at him. "I have no idea what you're asking me, or what you're going on about."

His harsh expression contorted to one of mild surprise. What language was _this_? It sounded Western- like that barbaric tongue from overseas. Yet he could not understand her words, and it only proved to anger him further, his countenance growing dark once more.

_"Why on earth have they hired an imbecile barbarian? You! Waitress!" _

The waitress halted, frozen in mid-step. It was Lian, and her startled gaze drifted to the owner of such a commanding voice.

_"Hai? How may I help you?"_ She kept her tone pleasant, glancing briefly at Ashley before settling her attention on their upset customer. What did she have to get them out of this time?

_"This hostess is taking me to the wrong table. I want my usual."_ His temperament toned down a few notches at his relief that this second woman spoke the right language- so maybe the other wretch was just a pity hire.

Lian smiled broadly, though had no idea where this man's table was supposed to be. Bowing her head, holding a serving tray to her chest, the elemental admitted that she was just as new as the hostess.

_"Gomen nasai. This is only a temporary fix for us both and she doesn't speak the native language. I'm not aware of who you are and where your usual table is, however, if you know where you're supposed to sit, I'd be happy to seat you." _

_"Nani? You don't know who…I…"_ This only seemed to anger the rotund man once more, his face turning red-bordering-purple. _"I am the town magistrate! I want my table, and it's right. Over. There!"_

Ashley and Lian both jumped slightly at the raised voice, turning their heads to follow the direction of where the magistrate pointed.

Right at the table where Ashley had seated the Sanzo-party.

Lian's face fell. Wonderful.

_"It appears the table isn't available. The infamous Genjyo Sanzo and his party have arrived and claimed it first. Perhaps another-"_

_"Iie!! They will move."_ The magistrate insisted forcefully, putting on an older man's version of a temper tantrum. Already he had drawn quite a bit of attention, and conveniently enough, the four young men he gestured to were either oblivious or completely ignoring him.

The younger woman watched as Lian slinked away, thinking at first that she was just going to hide somewhere. That would be Ashley's luck- to be left to deal with this screaming, big baby of a man.

Nevertheless, her assumption is proven wrong as the waitress-posing elemental approached Sanzo's table uncertainly.

The monk turned his gaze up at her, clearly bothered that he just couldn't seem to get away from Lian, but would place an order nonetheless.

_"It's about time. What took you so long?"_ Sanzo grunted, though not half as gruffly as he usually was. Unfortunately, he had become somewhat accustomed to the young woman- to her friends, as well, and with the fact of their true nature standing right before him, he couldn't necessarily call them hopeless dreamers any longer.

That really pissed him off.

Lian shook her head, setting down the serving tray on the table's surface.

_"I'm not taking your order just yet."_ She didn't respond to the glare given to her. _"Apparently Ashley put you guys at a table that the town magistrate normally sits at, and he's complaining and wants you four to move elsewhere. So if you could-"_

_"Absolutely not." _ Sanzo interjected, lifting his chin as he closed his menu.

_"Nani? Come on, why not? You haven't even ordered yet, so-"_

_"Precisely. We're hungry, and we haven't seen a waitress until now."_ The monk complained though hadn't so much as raised his voice or taken his eyes off of his menu. Raising two fingers, he lifted a cigarette to his lips, searched for his lighter, and then brought the flame to the Marlboro.

Turning her new earth-green orbs between the four sitting at the table before her, Lian stammered at what more she wanted to say.

Hakkai and Goku hadn't seemed the least bit concerned with moving; in fact, they were quite immersed in their menus, probably paying no mind to the magistrate or his wanting to sit at his usual table.

Gojyo tried to look away but Lian caught his gaze first looking far too expectant of an answer different from Sanzo's.

He shrugged a shoulder, letting on a light smirk. "_No offense to ya, demo, the service does kinda suck so far-- and now ya wanna make us move? I'd be singin' a different tune if we could've ordered first and then we were asked to take a different table. I say this should put that beef-wagon in place."_

From her place beside the magistrate, Ashley shook her head, figuring that the guys weren't about to give up their seats. That was just how they were- no champions of justice, and just like Rosa Parks. A table was a table was a table. Who really cared where the bastard sat? He should be glad that any establishment allowed him entrance for any reason with the way he acted.

Even so, this could very certainly mean trouble, and Ashley definitely hadn't wanted to be the cause of it. If she'd been able to speak the language, she would have been happy to ask the guys herself.

_"What is taking so long? Why won't they move?"_ The portly man thundered, taking a threatening step toward the table in question.

His beady gaze fell upon the four young men.

So there was a priest sitting there. Big deal. A Sanzo? Who cared?

His shadow fell across Genjyo Sanzo's slim figure. At that moment, in comparison, Ashley thought that the monk resembled a kitten beside a lion…a kitten with sharp claws and a gun.

_"Can I help you?"_ Sanzo addressed the man, lifting his angular chin, deep violet eyes meeting black with unwavering confidence.

_"You're at my table."_

"_Oh my, our apologies, though we weren't aware of this and we are quite ready to place our orders now. Due to ourselves becoming very comfortable with our current positions, we don't care to give up our seats."_ Hakkai smiled politely, his tone pleasantly dark.

Goku piped up that he was starving. _"I could really go for some pork butt, so ya better get back into the kitchen. Ok?"_

_"EXCUSE ME?!! Don't you KNOW who I am!?"_ The magistrate shouted, causing Lian to back away from the table to where Ashley stood. No way was she getting in the middle of this one- goddess or not, she wasn't about to get involved in any fighting. Not at the moment.

_"Ya mean besides a royal pain in the ass?_" Gojyo chuckled, sitting back in his seat and hanging an arm over the side. _"Sorry to burst your bubble, __**exalted one**__- we didn't see your name on the table. Looks like you're just gonna have to sit somewhere else with the rest of the peasants."_

_"Ooh, I liked that one, Gojyo, very nice."_ Hakkai commended, turning his emerald eyes to the two young women standing nearby, and then smiled brightly toward the rest of the diners who still stared nervously.

Clearly, they were either used to this man, or they were visitors to the town and apprehensive about what may happen.

Catching the fourth voice, the magistrate turned his massive head in the redhead's direction. _"P-peasants?! You are not above me, pissant! You--you're…"_

He bent close to Gojyo's face, glowering eyes peeking out from beneath the bushy white brows- and he realized the heritage of the man giving him such a smarmy smirk.

Straightening quickly, the magistrate shouted something terrible.

_"Where is the owner? I must speak to him this moment!"_

_"What of?"_ Sanzo blew smoke into the man's face, eyes dangerously slanted upward at him.

_"Of the filthy half-breed monster allowed into this restaurant."_

Lian gasped, overhearing this, her hand covering her mouth in shock. Ashley frowned. Whatever had just transpired, it hadn't been good, and it had something to do with Gojyo.

A sinking feeling tangled the young woman's stomach.

It had to do with his breeding- she could just **feel** it.

And it made her blood boil.

Gojyo's face slackened with whatever insult the larger man had thrown at him, scarlet eyes lowering before he gathered his pride and stood up with the smirk he'd previously wore.

Only this time, he appeared far from cocky. His eyes held the sting of the words spoken to him.

_"Well pardon me for breathing' your air, __**majesty**__."_

_"Gojyo? Where are you going?"_ Hakkai moved to get up as well, but Sanzo put out a hand, stopping him.

_"No one has asked you to leave, Gojyo. Sit down. We'll order and eat and go back to our rooms."_

_"I will most definitely NOT share the same room as this cretin! This curse from **hell**!" _ Growling fiercely, the rounded man made an advance toward the hanyou, and Ashley shouted for Gojyo to move out of the way.

Whether or not he'd understood her didn't seem to matter- he had moved anyhow, arching away from the swinging fist meant for his head.

_"Goddamnit, what the hell is wrong with you?"_ Gojyo cursed, brows furrowed in anger. _"Asshole!"_ He promptly flashed a single-fingered salute to the magistrate.

This time Sanzo pushed away from the table, sweeping his white robes back. _"I said to sit down and you just make things worse, rotten kappa!"_

_"He took a swing at me, for fuck sake! Ya think I'm just gonna stand here an' take it?"_

_"That's a tacky decoration, your head."_ The priest snorted, stubbing out his cigarette and tuned out the repartee from his companion.

At that moment, Himura came storming into the restaurant, his shining head wrinkled with deep lines.

_"What exactly is going on here? Ping-sama!! What has you so upset, sir?"_

The owner wrung his bony fingers together, gaze jumping between the infamous Sanzo-ikkou and then to his temporary hires. The young women appeared flustered and disturbed by whatever had happened in his absence; notably the hostess who perhaps showed more anger than any other emotion.

Ping-sama, the name belonging to the rude, trouble-making magistrate, spun onto Himura, a vein bulging from his neck.

_"Were you aware, Himura-san, that your newly hired help are completely incapable?! My table was given away- I told you I had wanted it free today! On top of that, this insolent monk and his band refused to move. Additionally, you have a taboo visitor!"_

_"M-my apologies, Ping-sama. I beg your pardon, what do you mean by taboo?"_ Himura frowned, not having wanted to ever upset such a powerful man. If he deemed it so, the inn could get closed down.

"_That muddy blooded half bred __**thing**__ standing there. Hanyou bring terrible luck and I absolutely refuse to allow him to remain in this restaurant, let alone this inn, or this town!"_ Ping seethed, spitting as he screamed.

Before anyone else could react, the stout man flew toward Gojyo once more with a speed inconceivable for a man with such girth.

Taken off guard, having believed that with the owner present that nothing would get much farther than a screaming match, Gojyo's defenses rose a moment too late and Ping had his shirt fisted in one thick hand.

_"The hell, let go of me!"_ He brought his hands up, prepared to land a good one right in the man's fleshy face. Incredibly so, he was being held on by a vice-like grip, ironclad so that it would take several people to maybe pry Ping away from the kappa.

Frazzled, Himura pleaded for the magistrate to release his guest, looking toward Sanzo with the suggestion of perhaps eating elsewhere.

Ashley had already taken a few steps forward to stop the madness of the behemoth of a man clutching Gojyo like some child's teddy bear. All this because she had led the guy to the wrong table? What kind of petty person disputed such things?

Lian brought a hand out to stop her friend from going any farther- what could she possibly do to a guy like that? He was three times anyone's size, and even though Ash played at being tough, she wasn't certain she could be much of a match.

However, in witnessing the storm of emotion suddenly flaring up behind her friend's hazel eyes, the earthly goddess decided against any hindrances.

Maybe, just maybe, this would be it for Ashley.

Her awakening.

"Let him go!" The young woman shouted, her ire rising as Ping brought a heavy blow across Gojyo's face.

Grunting, the hanyou practically emanated his animosity toward this beast manhandling him. What he despised more was his inability to get free- especially in front of the girls- and more so in front of his companions.

Was he too weak after all?

The rest of these guys…really made him look bad.

Sanzo reached into his robes- this was bullshit that they didn't have to put up with- and produced his Smith & Wesson.

_"Now I'm going to give you a choice, magistrate: you can either let him go and let us eat in peace, or you can find a nice bullet hole through that primal brain of yours. What'll it be?"_

Growling, Ping began to release the shirt collar and Ashley thought, for the briefest moment, that he may actually let this go without putting up much more of a fight.

It was just a table, for cripes' sake. It wasn't worth dying over, much less killing anyone, regardless of their heritage.

_"Go to hell!"_ The magistrate retightened his grasp and after pulling Gojyo toward him, he thrust him out, flinging the hanyou against the wall.

Inhuman-- the strength couldn't be human-- but nobody sensed a demonic aura, nor did he bear a chakra of the heavens. He wasn't a god. He was a mortal with dizzying power.

Gojyo felt his back crack against the wall- not broken, but he'd definitely feel it in the morning- and a groan escaped his lips.

"_Oh my…Gojyo!" _Hakkai immediately jumped to his friend's aid, clucking over him like a mother hen to see if he'd need any healing, and Goku was prepared to summon his nyoi-bou though Sanzo stopped him.

There was a strange energy in the air, and the monk had most certainly felt it before.

Twice before, in fact.

Having seen quite enough Ashley threw herself at Ping, a terrible snarl escaping her as she landed a fist clean into the man's gut.

Instead of only bouncing back off, her punch landed hard into him and he made an audible grunt, stumbling back with the impact. Not at all pleased at having been bested, especially by one he considered a barbarian woman from the West, Ping came rushing at her.

Female or no, he would gladly wipe out anyone who stood in his way- and anyone who would dare defend a being made up of sin and dirtied blood very well deserved punishment.

_"Savage woman! You don't know what you're up against! I will enjoy seeing your head roll!" _

_"I think…he's getting into deep water."_ Lian mumbled to herself, having stepped up behind Sanzo to watch from the sidelines.

The monk didn't glance at her, though he did speak. _"You feel it too, don't you?"_

_"That energy? Hai. It's the same."_

_"Hnn… I was hoping it wasn't."_

_"Disappointed? That'll make three, you know. Erin, me, and Ashley. The only one left-"_

_"-don't even say it."_ Sanzo wasn't interested in being told the obvious. He knew well enough that it meant Mandi would be the final one to change, and that it would very likely happen sometime soon.

As Ping came at her, Ashley easily stepped aside, her expression dark and malicious…even as she simply stuck her foot out and allowed the large man to trip and fall.

She smirked with satisfaction as he landed heavily to the floor and turned toward him.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall. You should've watched that last step- it's really a doozy."

What had come over her? She felt so…different. Even the use of familiar one-liners made her fingertips tingle with energy that she hadn't ever felt within her before.

From his place against the wall, having partially regained normal breathing patterns after the wind had been knocked out of him, Gojyo lifted his ruby eyes to the young woman.

_"What is she doin'? That guy could crush her with two fingers if he wanted to."_

_"And yet she's still winning. I think, my friend, we are about to witness another spectacular event…do you see..?"_ Hakkai remained crouched down beside the injured man though he was staring at Ashley's form.

A mist surrounded her of strange tinted blue mottled by white and sea-green which drifted outward from her body and then receded as the waves of an ocean.

Ping pushed to his feet, wiping spittle from his fish-like lips and sneered at the woman before him. He started for her once more, not fond of being made a fool in front of his townspeople- in front of anyone- he would prefer to always be the epitome of power.

Ashley's eyes flashed, practically glowing with the energies coursing through her.

"I'm not so sure you're going to want to get up. You'll only get knocked back down, buddy."

While the others couldn't attest to knowing what she said, her forbidding tone made it all too clear the damage she intended on delivering to the magistrate. Lian swung her body round, facing Himura.

_"You have to get everyone out of here! Out of the restaurant, now! Hurry!"_

_"N-nan de?!"_ Startled, Himura turned his frantic face toward the young woman-- he hadn't realized it until now, but her forehead bore a shining, red chakra.

A priestess? No- he couldn't believe that it hadn't been so obvious to him before, but Lian's hair shone with rich earth brown tones and had strips of silver ivy laced throughout--like a goddess. A creature of the soil itself.

_"Did you hear me? Get them out, this could get dangerous!"_

_"H-hai! I understand…are you…are you…"_ Himura didn't get the rest of the words out. A shiver beneath his feet of the restaurant's slight trembling cut him off and caused the rest of the guests to rise from their seats. Motioning to them, the innkeeper kept calm as best he could and made to lead out any who remained who shouldn't have.

The magistrate hadn't gotten too far.

No sooner than Himura and the last of his staff and guests walk through the restaurant's entryway out to the lobby did the faint trembling increase with Ashley's released energies. The walls cracked and a strange groaning sounded from within the walls and beneath the carpeting.

_"Hakkai…is what I think is happening really happening?"_ Gojyo had finally made it to his feet, sore at having been bested by a mere human. A tall, burly geezer, to add insult to injury. Now it seemed that the young woman he had taken such penchant to would transform into the next elemental goddess.

What a shame…

…yet he hadn't the heart to stop the transformation, or to attempt it, anyhow.

By now they knew not to get in the way, to stay back or risk getting more than just a few bumps and bruises. Gojyo never had been one to idly stand by when a damsel was in distress, though, if he had to admit it, Ashley certainly wasn't in distress.

It was Ping the town magistrate that he felt pity for.

And at the moment, Ping stood with the most bemused expression across his once violently red face.

He'd heard the groaning within the area, the creaking and snapping, as if ghosts lived within the walls. It had to be all that hanyou man's fault. This misfortune was his doing- and the barbarian woman was his accomplice.

Pointing an accusing finger at the young woman glowing with an oceanic-blue aura, Ping opened his mouth to let loose another flurry of insults- and before he could manage, the groaning and shaking of the restaurant increased ten-fold while the pipes behind the walls burst and shot through inches of plaster and molding.

_"Get down!"_ Sanzo's voice rang above the torrents of water streaming across the room with the ferocity of a high pressured fire hose.

His body hit the floor, as did Lian's and Goku's. Having been on the floor already, Gojyo and Hakkai were spared their heads as liquid jets pushed above, missing them by inches.

Ping had ducked too little, too late. The water hit him, pushing the heavy bodied judge to the floor, the back of his head knocking against a nearby table. While he did not manage to be killed by it, he'd suffered a loss of consciousness, lying idly by as the jet-streams crossed in the middle of the restaurant.

Where they met, Ashley stood, her head back, hair falling loose and streaming behind her. Within a moment, her form was completely engulfed by a bulbous mass of transparent blue liquid and then- she vanished completely within it.

Startled, Gojyo pushed to his feet; a powerful push of water shoved him forward, landing him at his knees before the cocoon-like bubble.

_"Where the hell did she go? She's in there, right? How come we can't see her? Hakkai?!"_

_"Gojyo! Get back from there! You're too close, you'll get hurt!"_ Hakkai pleaded- his friend had to know the drill by now. He was most likely worried over nothing, however, he wouldn't dare say that he was just as concerned.

_"Bakazaru! Get back!"_ Sanzo growled from his place beneath a table, already irksome at how foolish he looked hiding like some coward. _"There's no point in trying to help- you know just as well as I do that she's going to change just like the other two did! Get your kappa-ass back before that bowl of yours is overflowed and you drown!" _

Lian turned her head slightly toward Sanzo's, her eyes diverting for a moment from Ashley to the monk. She grinned at him- hearing him admit to knowing there was nothing to do to stop the transformations had really just made her day.

_"Arigatou, Sanzo-sama."_

Violet orbs slipped to one side, squinting in confusion. _"For what? Why are you looking at me like that?"_

_"Because…you're really a sweetie underneath, aren't you?"_ Her lips brushed over his cheek before she turned her attentions back to the young woman trapped inside the watery globe.

Sanzo's cheeks reddened as he looked forward again, as well. _"If you __**ever**__ do that again, I won't hesitate to shoot that chakra right off your forehead."_

"_Hey!! How come it's all stopping? Ne, Hakkai, Gojyo! The water isn't goin' anymore!"_ Goku gestured to the pipes which had slowed the flow of water and gradually died down to a mere dripping.

Gojyo, having crawled back to where he'd been thrown, shook his head, knowing it definitely wasn't the end of the change.

_"Nah, man, that just means…she's almost done."_

_"I believe you're correct."_ The brunette youkai murmured, intent upon the scene.

The pocket of water had grown, as though what the pipes had to offer had all gathered and merged together until it nearly filled the entire room, suspended off the ground and hanging just below the ceiling. It resembled an aquatic balloon, waiting for that tiny pinprick to make it pop.

_"Hey…what's that thing?"_ Getting to his feet, feeling he didn't have to be on the floor if the water wasn't bursting from the walls anymore, the heretic pointed at a small, pinkish-peach colored creature that had wriggled free from a large pipeline.

It fell to the floor with a soft 'plop' and turned its pointed frilled head toward the youth pointing at it. Opening its mouth, it made a small noise, meek to human ears, though perhaps meant to be threatening.

_"It appears to be…a lizard…or salamander of some sort."_ Standing, Hakkai brushed off his khakis before pulling Gojyo to his feet.

Following suit, the monk and Earth elemental rose, watching just as perplexed while the small creature scurried on toward the bubble. It glanced back at the others watching, as if to warn them, and then facing forward, touched its nose to the bottom of the water-sphere.

_"Oh shit-"_

_"-get back down!"_

_"-not good!"_

_"No shit, Sherlock!"_

Five bodies hit the floor once more a split second before Ashley's protective shield took on a bright, white-blue light, and then exploded.

Cool water rained down, drenching all in its path, soaking into the carpet and turning it dark in color. When it seemed to have stopped, Gojyo was the first to raise his head.

He choked on his breath, on his words, and could only gawk dumbly at the young woman's changed appearance. Her hazel eyes flashed with more green than they had held before as she turned full circle, slowly taking in the damage dealt to the restaurant. Her clothing had changed; whatever had happened to what she had worn for being a hostess seemed obliterated, replaced by the ocean-blue silk pants and high-necked sleeveless tunic wrapping her body. As she turned her clothing rippled, taking on an illusion of being as fluid as waves on an open sea, changing to different shades of blue ranging from that found in the deepest abyss of an ocean, to the brightest sea green.

Running three fingers through her hair, the young woman assessed its new color. Rather than the sandy-ash blond it had been, it rivaled even Sanzo's golden locks, as though the very rays of the sun had become trapped. Its straightness had traded up for a wavy look, matching the very flow of her entire appearance.

"_Anou…that was unexpected."_ She murmured quietly, and just as they could with Lian, the four young men realized they could understand Ashley's words.

Slowly, the others pushed away from the ground, gathering their feet back beneath them, shoes squelching in the sodden carpet.

Gojyo stepped forward, eyeballing this changed woman. Outwardly she was different, nevertheless, the shine in her eyes told him that inside, she had always really been the same. No amount of elemental magic was going to change it. If anything, it had enhanced what had always been there.

"_So what do we call you?"_ The hanyou smirked, eliciting a puzzled expression from the young woman.

_"What do you mean, what do you call me?"_

_"Katie's name changed, you know?"_ Goku interrupted, stepping forward. He grinned brightly as he looked over the Elemental.

Lian said nothing, remaining beside Sanzo- who incidentally didn't care to speak. What a load of crap this was turning out to be, but there was no denying much of **anything** anymore. These girls were the real deal whether he wanted them to be or not.

Hakkai smiled thinly, not caring to put in his two cents this go round. His mind had drifted elsewhere and as a result, his face held an unreadable view.

_"So what do we call ya, honey? Katie is Lian, and you were Ashley, demo your name has probably changed now, ne?" _ Gojyo moved forward, halting only when the small salamander like creature raised its frilled head at him. _"And what the hell is that thing, anyway?"_

_"It's an axolotl…an aquatic salamander." _She answered the last question first, then shook her head. The name he wanted echoed inside of her head, as though pressing her, reminding her of who she was supposed to be. Who she had become. While inside of the bubble, it seemed as though a merger of her current soul and one much more aged had taken place. Memories flooded her, and then vanished, leaving only trace remnants. _"Jiang Miyoko."_

From her place the Earth elemental nodded. How familiar this felt, seeing this young woman through the eyes of Shina Lian, as though a reunion of a celestial family were falling into place, piece by piece.

_"Jiang Miyoko."_ The blond goddess repeated, this time to the others, assuring them and herself that this would be her name henceforth.

Gojyo raised a brow. _"That's definitely fitting, I'd say. It's nice t' hear your voice again and understand what you're saying."_

_"Keep it in your pants, kappa."_ Sanzo warned, already knowing the pick up line which would have followed.

Whatever happened to believing in no gods?

Had the hanyou tossed that mantra out in exchange for accepting this woman just because he had some stupid schoolboy crush on her?

_"I know what you're thinking, Sanzo…and you're wrong."_ Gojyo quipped, glancing over his shoulder at the blond priest scowling at him. _"I knew who she was before this, just like you did, just like we all knew Katie before she turned into Lian. They're the same inside, monk, and that ain't gonna change. Ya better unsaddle that high horse of yours, 'coz you're gonna find yourself all alone when it comes down to being so distrusting."_

_"Yeah! And being alone isn't that fun, Sanzo. I should know…"_ Goku affirmed, golden orbs staring at his mentor with the shining hope that he would eventually give in, like he always did.

Sanzo snorted, shrugging his shoulders. _"Do whatever you want. I have no problems with being alone."_ He turned heel, sloshing his way out of the restaurant, calling back to Lian that she had better not follow him, or there'd be hell to pay.

Jiang Miyoko scooped the axolotl up into her hands, stroking its frilled head with one finger before returning her gaze to the others. Hakkai had already made way to leave, giving her a brief nod, but looking quite distraught even as he walked away.

Silent for a moment, Gojyo watched the Water elemental as she created a new, smaller water pocket through which the axolotl slipped inside, curling up comfortably.

_"Looks like you're getting the hang of this thing already. What're you going to do about the restaurant?" _

Her gaze fluttered toward the redhead and then she shrugged. "_Nothing. If I felt I should clean it up, I would, demo, I'm not going to." _ Jiang looked upon the fallen magistrate who now groaned though his eyes remained shut. _"It's his fault anyhow. I'm sure that by now the innkeeper has realized that Lian and I are goddesses. I doubt we'll be held responsible."_

_"Er… good point, I think. What did you get so pissed about in the first place?"_

Goku perked an ear. _"I bet it's because this jerk-wad was gonna make you leave, just 'coz you're a hanyou. She got mad…it's not right, ya know?"_

_"Something like that."_ Jiang faced the restaurant's entrance, taking a few steps for it. _"I was pissed at him for it; I also just…didn't think anyone should be subjected to that kind of bullying. Least of all you, Red. It's childish for a man the size of a house to be picking on someone based on their heritage. Based on anything."_

With little more to say she headed out, intent on searching for the innkeeper, to explain that Ping, their town magistrate, had been responsible for angering goddesses of Tenkai, and that she'd gladly take her room now that he was out of commission.

Hesitating for a breath, Gojyo stalked after her. He had every intention of thanking her for caring so much, but that probably would have sounded too corny coming from him.

This womanizer who had developed alien feelings for a single woman, and that single woman had become another taboo- one more to add to the list of what he wasn't supposed to be, and wasn't supposed to touch.

What emotion was it which lurked in his heart, struggling to break free? It scared him; thoroughly, honestly, genuinely scared him shitless to think of the name it held to match.

Nevertheless, better late than never, to realize that this feeling was one he had never needed from the beginning. Though the thought did nothing to mend his frayed nerves, not a damn thing to soothe the fear of indecision gripping him within.

Where was the wisdom in admitting such a thing? It'd only end painfully, right?

His strides brought him beside the goddess and she glanced at him, surprised that he had followed her.

_"Something I can help you with?"_

_"Actually, yeah, there is."_ Gojyo moved into her path, facing her, looking down the few inches between them as though searching her eyes for the answer to his troubling thoughts.

Jiang tensed visibly, nerves bunching and unraveling constantly as the half-blooded man locked in on her eyes. What did he see there?

_"What is it, then?"_

_"I wanted to give my gratitude to ya. It's kinda rare that someone sticks up for me other than Hakkai, and it definitely isn't every day that a pretty girl gets changed into some Elemental goddess over it."_ His fingers wrapped around her wrists lightly, holding her in place even as she stepped back.

If she really wanted to break free, Gojyo knew that now it was not impossible for Jiang to kick his ass for coming on too strong. Nonetheless, the blond woman remained, skepticism written all over her expression, yet within that he found her curiosity of what was coming next.

A slight nod of her head gave him his answer- her unspoken reciprocate of his gratuity.

His voice dropped between normal tones and a whisper, husky to her ears as he closed the gap between them.

_"Hurt me if you wanna, just let me do this…'coz I want to." _ Crimson orbs sustained Jiang's green-hazel gems for a moment longer before his lips covered hers, pulling her into a kiss that he had kept in reserve, just in case. Soft, tender, one which held so much more meaning than anything he could have displayed for a one-night stand.

Her eyes widened, her first instinct being to pull back from him- however why should she be afraid now? They were in Shangri La, she and her friends had roles to play here, so why not give in this time?

She permitted it, pressing her mouth harder to his, dismissing the fact that they were in the lobby where the receptionist would likely return shortly from outside to find this hanyou man embraced with a woman bearing a chakra. It didn't matter to her any longer- giving in to him had been on her agenda for a while, though the opportunity to do so had only again just presented itself.

Gojyo broke away, hearing a startled squeak from the hall.

"Whoa…"

Jiang shifted her attention to find Mandi standing there, soaking wet in her maid's uniform, both eyebrows arched in amused bewilderment.

"Ashley..?" The brunette squinted, finding the chakra on the blond woman's forehead and she frowned next. "You changed?! I missed it?!"

Nodding, the Water elemental tried not to take notice the red flush of warmth upon her own cheeks at having been discovered so close to Gojyo, and sighed. It wouldn't do her much to respond- she already knew that this comprehension was one-sided.

_"Kekeke, what happened to you? You're soaking wet." _ Gojyo gestured to the drenched girl and she plucked at her skirt which dripped water onto the carpet.

It didn't take a genius to figured out that his tone insinuated a question of why she was trailing water all over the place.

Almond-brown eyes met the gaze of her friend. "I was cleaning the bathrooms and the pipes just suddenly exploded…for no…apparent…reason…wait a minute."

A sheepish grin spread across Jiang's face. _"Whoops? Gomen nasai, Mandi."_

Scoffing, Mandi wrung out her skirt, mumbling something about smelling like a backward town's toilet water and then sloshed off to finish the rest of her rounds, not having heard her friend calling out to her.

Laughing heartily once the brunette was out of hearing range, the goddess glanced over to Gojyo and felt her face heat up once more.

He didn't make a move to pick up where they had left off, however, he did give her a wink, seemingly promising that it wasn't all he had meant to do, and that a simple thank you kiss didn't begin to cover the breadth of his reasons for putting the moves on her once more.

_"I'm going to see about rooms now."_ She finally stated, resuming the course for the exit where she could see Himura-san chatting down his frightened patrons.

Gojyo watched as she left, wondering for a moment where this labyrinth of fates was going to end up.

He prayed to nobody in particular, that they would all end up in the same place- together.

-DISCLAIMER: I do not own Saiyuki nor am I affiliated with Kazuya Minekura in any way, shape, or form aside from that fact that she and I seem to have very VERY similar trains of thought- yay!. If I did own Saiyuki, I'd be claiming Hakkai first, and foremost, and then Sanzo, and Gojyo, and the monkey is up for grabs, thank you.

CLAIMER: All original characters are property of themselves and respective owners, and may not be copied or used in other fanfictions unless permission is granted in writing/email! I want proof of my permission, dangit! or otherwise in form of a contest that I have erected teehee, I said 'erected'.

**AUTHORS NOTE-PLEASE READ!** --My apologies to those who have been waiting- this chapter would have actually been posted several weeks ago had I not been so weak as to giving into the demons of distraction and just pushed myself enough to get in the last couple of pages. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed thus far, and thank you to those who have read and will be leaving me reviews. IF you are posting anonymously aka, not signed into and you wish me to reply to your review, PLEASE, go to my profile page and send me an email of your reviewed left here and I will answer you ASAP. I promise!! So, that said, leave me more reviews, lengthy ones, encourage me, my faithful, loyal readers, you have been with me since the beginning! The second installment is nearly halfway over! Do not fail me! Mandi's chapter is next -winks- 


	10. Airborne

**Author's Note:**_ Let me first apologize to everyone who has been waiting for this chapter. As one new reviewer pointed out to me, it's been roughly 8 months since I last posted anything. I WISH that were an exaggeration. Nevertheless, it reminded me that I have readers waiting- all of whom have been quite supportive of this fan-fiction. Forgive any mistakes I happen to make- I was riding the breeze, so to speak, and while I did check through everything, I may not have caught any mistakes. (Anyone interested in becoming my beta?? check out my profile page- it's updated!). There is an Obon Festival in this chapter. I did a little bit of research, and I've never actually BEEN to one, so I did my best. Allow me some artistic license on the rest. sweatdrop. Well- you know the drill. I don't own Saiyuki- Kazuya Minekura is god- and the others to their respectable owners wink. Without further ado...I present to you..._**  
**

**...Chapter Ten...**

Airborne

By the time the noon sun had risen to its peak and sent infiltrating rays through the windows at the inn there were three pairs of eyes which struggled to remain shut and protected from the light. It wasn't so much a matter of fatigue which kept the girls asleep, yet more of a wariness of what this new day might bring to them.

More trouble, perhaps, as the last two days had certainly been affected with plenty of it. The events of just the night before had everyone wound up, and the young women hadn't turned in for bed until quite late. Two of the three had stayed awake to chatter away, while the third had gotten stuck turning her head back and forth, trying to catch snippets of words she could understand. It wasn't until Mandi had released an exasperated groan and retired to her cot that the other two decided it might be best to get some sleep as well.

With Ashley's transformation into the Water Elemental, Jiang Miyoko, the innkeeper Himura had more than a little hesitance in asking the young women to continue working in exchange for room and board. Once the thin man had seen the damage done to his restaurant and discovered that two thirds of the female party were indeed godly creatures, he retrieved their belongings from the storage closet to return and offered up two of his best rooms to Jiang and Lian. When asked about the third girl, whom he'd assumed was merely a servant of the gods, as her appearance looked rather ordinary, the Elementals rejected Himura's offer for separate rooms.

The man didn't press the subject, though did change their given room to a larger, suite-sized one, in order to give them plenty of room. Himura had changed into a quivering fool overnight, having gone from being under the Magistrate Ping's thumb to wishing to serve and obey every command the girls could possibly give to him. To have a young woman approach the inn, play hostess to his restaurant, and pretend at being deaf and mute to their language, and then suddenly transform into a magnificent goddess had struck a fearful chord in Himura.

It caused him to believe that their large town angered the heavens in some fashion and they had sent advocates meant to force the population to repent. Thoroughly convinced of this, he even offered them plenty of freebies, which the girls _did_ take rather than be split up.

Given the fact that there was one remaining to transform into her Elemental body, sticking together struck them as the best idea. At the very least, Mandi wouldn't be left alone to fend for herself should she face a situation where demons attacked, or even needed someone to translate her words.

At the very least, the young woman could understand _some_ of the language, as had been helpful a few times in the past already. Nevertheless, her skills were very limited and she'd discovered herself faltering time and again when it came to even the more familiar of words. It had left her down in the mouth- not hopeless, not yet, though she imagined she'd get to feeling that way soon if something didn't happen in the near future.

Popping open one light brown eye, Mandi stifled a groan before sitting fully up, taking the blankets off of herself before rolling off of the low slung cot to kneel on the floor.

_"Ohayo gozaimasu!"_ Shina Lian chirped almost too cheerfully, having perked up from her bed just minutes earlier.

"Er…I think it's afternoon, but ok. Good morning." The younger brunette groggily mumbled as she swept her hair back and took a bleary look about the room. Yawning noisily, she pushed to her feet and stretched before reaching down to an end table in search for her glasses.

She'd been stowing them away in her supply pack for most of the journey, worried that they'd get broken during a skirmish if she constantly wore them, and reserved actually putting them on for when they were in town. Not that a demon attack couldn't happen there, yet it just seemed like a good idea in her own mind, even if it wasn't completely sensible.

However, before touching the wire frame of her spectacles, Mandi's fingers brushed over a cool, damp surface. Drawing her hand back in surprise, she looked down to find Jiang's axolotl, Nanami, staring up at her with striking, fathomless black eyes against its peachy flesh.

It made an odd, meek sound and she arched her brows at it. "You're weird looking."

The axolotl wasn't bothered by the idea and after a moment of staring, it sprawled out into the bowl of water set in front of it.

"_That's probably what he was thinking of you…he's not weird looking…he's unique."_ Ashley- or rather Jiang Miyoko- had heard what her friend had said and rolled over in her own bed before forcing her brightened green eyes open. "_Is it time to get up already?"_

_"Hai. That is if you want to, demo, it's noon already and an obon festival tonight to get ready for. So, up to you."_ Lian chimed in as she replaced pieces of her silky clothing, having removed some of it in order to sleep more comfortably. _"Besides that, I don't think Himura-san is planning on kicking us out anytime soon. We're too intimidating. He might think he's angered the gods again…though it'd be really funny."_

Jiang snorted softly, nearly indignant in manner, and she forced herself out of bed. _"Good. Then maybe he'll get the hint that he shouldn't let some complete blockhead run his inn and tell him who he can and can't have patron it."_

_"Anou, that was the magistrate's fault. He can shut things down all over town, couldn't he?"_ The Earth goddess argued, pressing that it couldn't be all on Himura's shoulders.

_"Still, that doesn't mean that the people he walks all over couldn't get up and do something about it. I kicked his ass just fine."_

Never mind anyone that Jiang had the unfair advantage of happening to be bound, determined, and full of elemental energy at the time.

Lian snickered softly. _"I guess. Though Gojyo seemed pretty grateful, from what I've heard…"_

The blond goddess scowled, her face turning pink in an expression quite evocative of a certain sunshine- headed monk.

"Um…" Mandi gazed at her friends, eyes darting back and forth before she heads for the bathroom. She'd only caught bits and pieces, a name here, a word there, and everything else registered as a blank. "I'm_so_ glad that I'm lost as hell and can't understand anything being said."

Sarcasm, of course.

Giggling, finding it all amusing, Lian waved her fingers, calling out. _"We can still understand you though, sweetie!_"

_"Yeah,__**that's **__fair. Why are you so damned energetic today, anyway?" _Jiang inquired irately, sour from the ribbing she'd gotten about Gojyo.

The elder of the pair shrugged, picking out a grape from the fruit bowl on the table. Complimentary.

_"I don't know. Is it a crime to be happy?"_ She challenged the other, raising a brow in semi-defense of her mood. _"It probably has something to do with the fact that since we both have been reborn, that Mandi is all we're waiting on, and Sanzo has been proven absolutely wrong. That's reason to be chipper, ne?"_

Jiang turned the corners of her mouth down. "_For us, maybe."_

_"_I heard my name!" Mandi called from the bathroom before poking her head out past the door frame. "Are you two talking about me?"

Smiling broadly to give away the truth, the earthen brunette giggled again. "_Maaaaybe."_

Shrugging, Jiang replaced the water salamander she'd been fawning over to pick an orange out of the fruit bowl, peeling back the dimpled skin.

The dark haired girl frowned. "Okie dokie then…you just keep laughing at my downward spiraling misfortune and I'll mope about not being able to understand what you're saying about me." A pause, and then: "Does that make me sound emo?"

This time the Water goddess grinned widely, putting a space between her thumb and forefinger while nodding her head slowly.

_"Hai, just a bit."_ Lian laughed, placing a hand, palm down, on the distressed woman's shoulder. _"Maa, don't worry so much, huh? You're bound to change soon!"_

Mandi stared at her for a second and then took on a look of defeat. "Augh!" Throwing her hands up into the air in a showy fashion, she bounced down into the armchair. "This is driving me nuts! And I don't know if you've noticed, but the longer that we've been here, the less I can understand from everyone. Shouldn't it be, like, the other way around?" Two fingers pinched at the bridge of her nose beneath her glasses. "Maybe it's just because I'm getting too worked up and worried and frustrated. I don't know. It's ticking me off, though."

_"It'll be fine."_ Lian insisted, casting a reassuring and somewhat motherly smile to her companion. _"Just give it some time, and-"_

"Do you not get it?!" The twenty year old hopped to her feet, cheeks forming red circles from her aggravation. "I. Don't. Understand. You. So there's no point in talking to me, is there? Not until something happens with me. _If_ it happens."

Green-hazel orbs flickered to the older of the two goddesses, sharing a similar expression of helplessness. They could try all they wanted to calm their friend down, however, it was easy to see how the situation would be completely frustrating.

"_Maybe she's __**supposed**__ to be last." _ The Earth-deity suggested, replacing the grape she had picked up just a moment ago. "_You know, like it's some kind of destined sequence."_

_"Or maybe she's just too patient." _Jiang blinked, as though an epiphany had dawned upon her.

Mandi lifted a brow, already having given up trying to comprehend what they were saying. She ping-ponged her gaze anyhow, subconsciously wishing she'd grasp any part of the conversation.

Lian canted her head to one side at the Water goddess, seemingly skeptical to the theory but willing to listen. Why not? They could probably go on for days with ideas as to how, why, what, and where and still never know.

Jiang glanced to their still-mortal friend briefly before returning her attention to Lian.

_"You blew your temper after butting heads with Sanzo, ne? **I** got pissed off last night when Gojyo was being treated like shit. All Mandi has ever gotten was irate. Aggravated."_

Chocolate eyes narrowed some. She knew that some sort of enlightening had 'graced' her friends, yet she still remained grounded and in the dark.

"_You know, that is true. So maybe she's got to get really mad?"_ Lian tapped her temple thoughtfully.

Jiang bobbed a shoulder. "_Or downright pissed off at the world."_

_"Or a different really strong emotion? Anger…sadness…ooh!" _

The other two nearly jumped to their feet at the last exclamation, though only one actually had known what the fuss was about.

"_Nani?"_

_"_What?"

_"Ai."_ Came the sly statement, a blue eye winking.

"_Ai…"_ Jiang mumbled, sliding her hazel orbs to the other girl.

Mandi, having known **that** word for ages in more than just two languages, slumped down in her chair.

"Oi." Her cheeks flared red and she suddenly sprung up out of the comfortable spot, shaking her head vehemently. "I don't know what you guys are up to, but I don't know that I want any part of it."

"_The festival is tonight. I heard there's dancing."_ Lian went on in her teasing tone, taking advantage that her friend couldn't understand the subject being discussed as a whole. "_So maybe if we just-"_

_"-We? Who says **I'm** doing any dancing?" _Jiang retorted, alarmed at the thought of making an idiot out of herself. "_You can go have your fun. I don't do dancing."_

Scoffing, the eldest of the three crossed her arms tightly. "_Not even if Gojyo asked you?"_

The slight lift of the other's brows seemed reply enough: Don't broach the subject and nobody got hurt.

Besides, Sha Gojyo's idea of dancing and Lian's idea of dancing were bound to be two very different things.

Jiang turned her face to the window. She was sure the hanyou had other, better plans- probably with some other pretty face that he'd undoubtedly met already in town.

Pursing her lips, Lian tossed her ivy-strewn brown hair and spun to stare at the remaining young woman.

"Whatever you're thinking, you ought'a not be." Mandi broke in before her friend could get started.

"_Tsk…aw, c'mon! Lighten up, sweetie!" _The Earth goddess beamed all the more secretly. She began to pantomime. "_Go to the festival…dance with Hakkai."_

At hearing the youkai's name, Mandi put up her hands, going red in the face once more.

"_**Dance**__ with him! Emotions are bound to soar! Since I don't think he's really going to make you angry, there's only one other emotion extreme enough. And don't think we haven't noticed how he looks at you…or how you look at him."_ Lian persisted, playing at putting her arms around an invisible figure and swirled about the room. "_Ooh, Hakkai-san! Aishiteru! Aishiteru! Muah-muah!"_

_"Hoo-boy, you're making an idiot of yourself…"_ Jiang hid a blatantly amused smirk behind one hand.

_"I'm__**trying**__ to get my point across! Do you have a better idea?"_

Part of her point had made it loud and clear to Mandi; though the girl hardly had any idea what expressing her 'undying love' for Cho Hakkai would get her- except for maybe trouble and humiliation.

Even so, she had difficulty denying that her feelings had already run that deep. She'd truly cared for him when he was no more than a fictional character on her television screen, as strange and sordid as it was to think about. Obsession at its finest, really. Now, in reality, if this could be called that, her affections for him had only increased.

It scared the living daylights out of her.

"So what, you're a mind reader now?" Mandi grumped mildly. "It doesn't matter. I can't _say_ that to him…are you nuts?"

_"Hai."_ Jiang mused, taking great measures not to add anything extra.

Shina Lian sighed heavily, though cast a sympathetic look toward Mandi. She assumed there would be more said.

"I mean, okay, maybe I **do** feel that way- or I think I do- I don't know. I've never been in-- never mind…" Mandi inhaled deeply, calming herself, trying to get her heart to stop pounding so hard out of nerves, trying to keep from tripping over her words.

"_Hai?_" Cam a gesture of encouragement.

Almond orbs volunteered to watch a bird outside taking flight, rather than set upon either of her companions. "I just can't. What reason do I have to say so? It's not like he'll say the same, or feel the same, and I don't expect it anyway. If I say it though, then there'll be this underlying hope that he'll say it, too, and that's just not going to happen. I mean…it's not like he even knows me that well- and here, I know just about everything about him. Right?"

"_Tsss…fine. Alright. Don't then. Maybe you'll turn into Mandi the Mighty by some defaulted time limit." _ Lian gave up crossly. Her friend's fears weren't unreasonable, just blind.

Anyone else could see that Hakkai had undeniable fondness for the younger brunette girl. At the very least, he took to her quite easily, more-so than he had with either of the other two.

Nevertheless, 'love' was so strong an emotion that a spoken confession might spark jitters in the green-eyed man over a vote of confidence and urge to reply with his own feelings.

"I'll go to the festival, though." Mandi stated quietly after moments of silence.

Both Lian and Jiang looked to her in wonder.

"For cultural reasons." She argued what she knew was passing through their minds. "That and it might be fun. I've never been to the bon festivals they had back home and I've always been curious." She sighed, making her way to the door. "Until then, I'm going to take a walk and check out the town."

Escaping out into the hallway before anyone could hold her back with another 'theory' that she wouldn't be able to sit through, Mandi shook her head with some small wonder that they might have been right.

* * *

Sha Gojyo fanned out a hand of cards, scoping out what he had left to play.

A two, a Queen, a nine, a four, and a Jack.

Well, it'd be a shitty poker hand, except…

"_Hai, Gojyo! Gimme all your fives!"_ Son Goku demanded, staring desperately at his own hand which contained at least twelve cards.

"_Go fish, chimp." _ The redhead drawled around his lit Hi-Lite. It wasn't the most stimulating game; in fact there were several activities that he'd prefer to do that were much more invigorating- but since Goku refused poker on account of Gojyo's habit of cheating, they were stuck with Old Maid, Go Fish, and War.

_"Again?! You don't ever have the cards I need!"_ The heretic complained, swiping a 'fish' from the 'pond'.

_"Perhaps if you didn't continually ask for the same card, Goku, you'd get somewhere." _Cho Hakkai's mellow voice sounded from the counter where he'd busied himself making a sandwich. "_I highly doubt the chance of Gojyo having a five of any suit increases as he makes pairs and loses cards rather than gaining any."_

_"Yeah, dimwit, so ask me for something else." _ Gojyo huffed, wishing the game would end soon.

"_**Fine…**__stupid kappa…" _ Goku started, prepared to ask for a new card.

_"Not__**now**__! It's my turn, moron!"_

_"Demo, you just said-"_

_"Yare, yare!"_ Hakkai breathed, silencing the pair. "_It may be best if you stop playing now."_

Gojyo tossed his cards down. "_I think so, too. The monkey ain't cutting it for me. So Goku, you win by default."_

_"Whose fault?"_

_"Man, grow a brain, kiddo. Oi, Hakkai, feel like a game?"_

Emerald eyes darted toward the hanyou. "_Ah, iie. Actually, I thought I might shop in town. There may be sales on supplies because of the festival."_

Crimson eyes glinted in humor as the half-demon snuffed out his cigarette. "_You are such a girl sometimes."_

_"Beg pardon?" _ Hakkai smiled so serenely it gave the other two the heebie-jeebies. _"**Someone** has to watch out for us all. Especially when it comes down to health and hygiene."_

The redhead snorted in laughter. "_Tch, yeah, OK. Demo, seriously man, I'd think you were a little bit on the homo side if not for-"_

_"-for who?"_ The kind smile grew dangerously wider. Never mind that he had mistakenly said 'who' instead of 'what'. If Gojyo was approaching a subject, it'd better not have to do with the past.

His best friend hesitated. "_Er…"_

_"Go on. I'm quite curious to know what you think, my friend."_

_"I know!"_ Goku cried out. "_It's Mandi, ne?"_

_"Goku…"_ Hakkai turned on his heel toward the youth. "_You shouldn't assume things. We don't know that's what Gojyo was going to say. So let's allow him to finish, shall we? Gojyo?"_

Gojyo's mouth twitched at the corners, a nervous fidget, though it'd be far worse not to reply at this point.

_"I think the monkey about hit it on the head, man. If it weren't for you makin' goo-goo eyes at her…"_

_"-I'm certain I do nothing of the sort, Gojyo."_

Though Hakkai swore his insides were doing funny flips at the very idea of it.

He must have come off as having his guard down from the hanyou's insinuation because Gojyo snuck in another blow.

"_Demo, ya like her, don't you? I mean she's cute and all- not my type, demo definitely cute."_

The dark haired demon adjusted his monocle, took it off to examine it, then proceeded to clean it needlessly on his olive colored shirt.

"_I like her just fine. She's a lovely friend. Forgive me for saying, however, just what kind of woman __**is**__ your type?"_He replaced his single lens, smiling still.

A low chuckle escaped the half-demon. _"Probably shouldn't say it in front of the monkey. Virgin ears and all. Sanzo would have me riddled with bullets in no time."_

_"Hey! My ears aren't virgins to the perverted things you say, kappa!"_ Goku protested; he also didn't really wan to hear what Gojyo's type was, so threw in that he'd better not say so. Golden eyes fixated on Hakkai. "_Anou, I think Ashley is his type. Er, or…what's her name now? Jiang? 'Coz the hentai kappa was trying t' eat her face off yesterday. I saw it. In the lobby."_

_"Oh my…"_ Hakkai grinned.

"_It's called a kiss, bakazaru!"_ Gojyo rolled his eyes as his lips spread into a smarmy, satisfied grin. _"Trust me, if I was gonna eat __**anything**__, it'd be-"_

_"-finish that sentence and we'll find out if you've got any brains to splatter on the wall."_ Genjyo Sanzo's gravely voice spoke from directly behind the hanyou, sounding none too pleased. As though it ever could sound pleased.

Gojyo put his hands up in surrender. _"Ohayo gozaimasu to you too, sunshine. Glad you could grace us with your presence."_

_"Shove the bullshit, letch."_ The blond priest grumbled, sitting at the table with a newspaper in hand.

_"Hey, you're in __**my**__ room, priesty. I'll say what I want." _ Gojyo hiked a thumb at himself.

Violet eyes slipped to one side. "_Let's not forget who paid for everything."_

_"I thought those floating heads did."_ Goku interrupted, as always, positively at the wrong moment.

Snickering, the kappa moved away from the table, **slowly**. His back ached from his not-so-welcomed slam into the wall the day before. He'd wore his purple heart with pride, having shunned any help from Hakkai as far as healing treatment went.

"_Where're ya going?"_ The impish youth inquired, having had hopes of playing a different card game now that Sanzo had joined them.

_"Out. Don't mind if I tag along with you, do ya Hakkai?"_ A tanned hand clamped onto the brunette's shoulder. "_Checking out some sales doesn't sound so bad after all. Besides, maybe we'll get lucky and you can score a hot date for the festival tonight. It's about time you let loose and partied down a little."_

An incomprehensible string of insults left Sanzo's lips riding on a growling mutter, though it didn't take much guesswork to grasp the meaning behind it.

Hakkai steered toward the door, laughing sheepishly.

"_I'm not so certain of a date, Gojyo. At least not for myself. I'm afraid that I'm not the partying type. Though if you're willing to search for yourself, I'm not going to stop you from asking anyone. Ah- Sanzo? Do you need anything?"_

_"Hn. Iie, I'm good. Don't let the river-monster get you into trouble."_ Sanzo replied from behind his paper, not bothering to look up.

"_Don't let the river monster…"_ Gojyo started in a voice higher pitched, whinier, and very unlike his natural one. Though rather than stick around to trade jabs, he followed Hakkai out into the hallway. "_Is it me or has that sorry excuse of a monk actually gotten grumpier over all this time? What's his deal, anyway?"_

Sighing warily, Hakkai adjusted his monocle once more.

If he had a real choice, he'd have gone on this errand alone. Truthfully, he hadn't even planned on shopping around. Sure, the thought had occurred to him, yet the dark haired man had wanted fresh air and time alone outside of his hotel room.

If it hadn't been for the sake of his growling stomach wanting that sandwich, Hakkai would have forgone the meager meal altogether. Unfortunately for them all, Sanzo hadn't specified the commodities they'd need for their supplies and only one of the four single rooms had a kitchen in it. They'd taken the rooms in accordance to the keys given and by the time they'd realized what happened, Gojyo's equipped room already stunk like cigarettes.

Hakkai refused a trade. That sour nicotine and tobacco stench offended his olfactory and it'd take ages to be rid of it. At the very least, they could store the food there.

It didn't change that he would rather have gone out on his own.

"_…kai! Hakkai!"_ Gojyo's callings broke through after a few moments. "_What planet are you on today?"_

_"I don't know."_ Hakkai responded lamely, stepping outside, trying to decide where to go. _"I suppose he's still frustrated. Sanzo's patience has been tried too much lately. What tiny amount he has, anyhow. He's taking it out on us, the only way he knows how. While he now accepts that he was wrong about everything, it's angering him. He'll calm down soon."_

_"Tch, sure. I still think he's sexually repressed. Blondie needs a good lay."_ A cackling kind of laugh, which held claim to the idea the day would never come, followed the statement. Ruby eyes flashed momentarily in confusion. "_Hey, what do ya mean he takes it out on us? You're not included. Sanzo's never tried to-"_

_"-you're right, he hasn't. Then again, I'm not constantly making quips to earn myself pain."_

**Honestly,**it wasn't brain surgery.

Putting petty matters aside before his friend became too irritable, the lanky half-demon grew more serious.

This wasn't right.

Something seemed off with his friend's attitude. Maybe there wasn't much cause for concern, though with the way Hakkai wore that damned smiley-mask it always made it damn near impossible to determine what he really thought or felt.

After three years, Sha Gojyo could only ever say one thing about his roommate: Nothing was ever as it seemed.

He smiled, but he laughed so darkly at everyone, at their misfortune. At his own as well. Bitterness had consumed him, but now…it seemed there was more to it than just the past.

"_What's eating you?"_

The smile on Hakkai's lips barely registered as forced. For once, the twenty-two year-old's green eyes were distant in a way they never had been.

"_Sumimasen. I'm just not myself today. It must be all the excitement lately."_

_"The transformations you mean?"_ Gojyo probed, thinking it only the tip of the iceberg. He plodded one boot forward. They hadn't gotten farther than the inn's deck and the redhead was taking initiative now as to where to go.

Apparently shopping hadn't ever been on Hakkai's agenda after all.

Forgetting he'd wanted time alone, Hakkai fell in step beside his current company.

It had much to do with the transformations and much to do with what Gojyo tried to drag out of him earlier.

"_I'm glad that Kanzeon hadn't lied to us. Now that the girls are starting to become what they came here to be…they should serve Shangri La well- and Tenkai. I hope they find their friend, too."_

_"…you gotta say something to her, Hakkai."_ Gojyo frowned, a line of worry snaking around his insides.

"_I'm sure that I don't know what you're-"_

_"-bullshit!"_ Gojyo clipped the predictable reply of false obliviousness short. "_You know damn well what I mean. You know damn well **who** I mean, and nobody's twisting your arm to say so out loud. Just say it to who counts so it doesn't keep weighing you down. You got too much that you carry on your shoulders as it is- and I hate to tell ya, demo, you're no heavyweight, man."_

The two continued on without speaking for a while; Gojyo would let it sink into his friend's head. Of course, he knew his pushing wasn't going to go unpunished.

"_Have you..?"_ Hakkai began, then restarted. "_What are you doing about it, Gojyo? Ashley isn't truly Ashley anymore, though that didn't bother you yesterday, it seems. Demo, how do you really feel? After the last transformation happens, I believe we may not see much more of our new friends."_

A-ha.

**There it was.**

Hakkai's fear in the form of a diversion aimed at the welfare of someone other than himself.

_"To tell ya the truth, I hadn't given it much thought."_ A hand pushed through deep-red locks. "_It's weird. Never found a lady who made me really wanna chase her without giving up. She's tough, and I kinda dig that…a lot. Demo, I'm not sure how it's all gonna turn out. So I'm just gonna go with the flow…what's that saying?"_

_"Carpe diem?"_ Hakkai offered nonchalantly, nonplussed by the fact he knew such idle trivia idioms. Being a teacher some time ago- a **lifetime** ago- did have its perks.

"_Hai, hai, that one. Can't take life sitting on the back burner all of the time. I think I get it now. Too much can pass us by, otherwise. So I'm getting' my grubby paws on everything I can grab while it's still there in front of me."_

Nothing more came after that. Gojyo caught sight of a familiar- still mortal- dark haired young woman passing on the opposite side of the road.

Slinking away wordlessly he hoped that his suddenly abandoned comrade would do the right thing.

As for himself, he had some money burning a hole in his pocket. Despite the afternoon hour, a drink sounded fantastic.

* * *

**Tenkai**

**Peach Orchard**

_"Oh,__**that**__ one looks ripe. Get it, Jiroushin."_

The elegant finger pointing to an overly large peach belonged to none other than Kanzeon Bosatsu. She had her sights set on picking the place clean of every ripe fruit in view.

Jiroushin balked, swaying between doing as he had been told and just turning tail to get the hell away from the sanctioned orchard.

_"Merciful Goddess, I really don't think-"_ he hesitated as dignified as he could muster.

"_-good. I'm not paying you to think."_ The bodhisattva smiled wryly._"It's not too hard of a job for you, is it Jiroushin? All I'm asking is that you fill this basket with those yummy peaches up in those trees."_

_"You don't pay me anyhow!"_ Came the exasperated cry. Nevertheless, the god at last picked up the large woven basket at his feet and took a step onto the orchard's soil, cringing.

After a moment passed, an audible sigh of relief left him and the goddess laughed heartily at the reaction.

"_What's wrong? Did you expect that you'd burst into flames? Relax. Nothing will happen. Unless you take too long. There's not been a guardian here for over five-hundred years…"_

They had intruded upon this place. The Jade Emperor's ceremonial peach orchard. All because of some wild idea that Kanzeon had yet to divulge.

She wouldn't say so unless Jiroushin agreed to do her bidding, which she knew he eventually would give into her. He always did.

Normally, only the Emperor could decree that the peaches be plucked from their branches. These were quite unlike the sort which grew in the Lower World and took hundreds of years to fully ripen. They would usually serve as a special offering at a banquet consisting of Tenkai's most important officials, accompanied by immortal pills and an infamous elixir.

As far as Jiroushin knew, there was no upcoming celebration. Kanzeon had never been the one to harvest the fruit, either. It wasn't her place, after all, to do so. She sat higher on the social ladder in title than the gardeners and harvesters.

Naturally, then, when she had come up with this new adventure, all sorts of alarms had gone off in the immortal man's mind.

Kanzeon's behavior was more reckless than usual. Of course, she must have a magnificent reason for it all. He hoped. Imprisonment over peaches wouldn't be so worth it otherwise.

_Oh__**please**__…don't let them get caught._

Despite his preoccupation, the elderly deity found himself precariously balancing upon ladders in order to pluck peach after peach into the basket he held.

"_May I ask why we are risking our necks for this, Merciful Goddess? I do think I'm deserving of an explanation now."_

The raven haired hermaphrodite wore a Mona Lisa smile.

"_There is only one rebirth left, Jiroushin. Haven't you noticed?"_

_"Hai, of course I've noticed."_ He threw an unoccupied arm out to wrap it around a low branch before he could fall off of a particularly tipsy ladder.

Clearly the equipment hadn't been serviced in about five hundred years, as well.

Kanzeon pointed out to the ripe peaches as she spoke. "_I'd say it's cause for a celebration. When Yu Michiko is reborn it will signify the beginning of a new era…a spectacular one at that. The peaches are a must for an induction."_

_"The Jade Emperor-"_

_"-is a doddy old fool, and everyone here knows it. It's nearly time for things to be set right, Jiroushin, and we're the welcoming committee."_

At that moment, the weight of the bodhisattva's words impacted. Jiroushin pulled down one last peach and descended to the soil.

Grey eyes met deep indigo.

"_Then you're really going through with it?"_

_"Since when have I ever backed down from a promise? Never. No matter how long ago they were made. I always follow through. Besides…I'm tired of sitting back and doing nothing more than watch."_ She turned her red lips into a signified smile then pivoted a hip. "_Games are best when you actually get to be a part of them, after all. Now- are you ready for one wild party?"_

* * *

_"I'm not going."_ Genjyo Sanzo scowled as Son Goku pleaded with him to attend the obon festival in a few hours.

If his violet eyes could get any darker with annoyance they'd have turned black.

"_You're no fun!"_ The smaller accurately accused, though figured there'd be no convincing his mentor. That rarely stopped Goku from trying. Though after nearly an hour of begging, he thought maybe relenting was a good idea.

His voice was getting tired.

A vein throbbed in the blonde's right temple, a dull ache had visited him for an indefinite stay.

_"I never claimed that I was any fun, have I? Now will you get out and leave me in peace?"_

_"This is Gojyo's room, not yours, so why don't **you** get out?" _ Goku argued pointedly, behaving childishly without realizing it.

Clenching his teeth, Sanzo stood abruptly, using his newspaper to strike the boy over the head.

_"Then you get out, too, bakazaru!"_ He tossed the paper onto the table, haughtily going to the door and held it open. _"Out!"_

_"Sanzo, what about the obon festival?"_ Goku cowered as he slunk out into the hallway.

The monk would usually give in if he asked just **once** more, but this time it only seemed to anger Sanzo further.

_"What part of 'I'm not going' didn't you understand, brat? Just leave me alone. Go if you want to, I don't care."_

Taken aback to the point of utter silence, Goku merely stared after the priest as he vanished into a room down the corridor.

"_Geez…what's his problem today?"_ Goku whispered to himself.

He grew more concerned for the priest recently.

Did anyone else notice it? That strange flicker of pure emotion which passed through those amethyst eyes?

Or the shadowed cloud hanging over those bright, golden locks?

Didn't they notice that something was bothering Sanzo more than usual?

Maybe their mission had finally taken its toll on their unorthodox leader.

Wasn't that why the weird lady from heaven had made them go find the girls? So that they could help shoulder the burden of restoring peace in this land? To make Sanzo's job easier?

So then why was his 'savior' getting worse?

Goku knew he ought to leave the priest alone. Sanzo would only become infuriated with him if he was pestered again.

The amber-eyed boy found himself standing against a shut door, regardless.

He couldn't stand by doing nothing. Maybe there was something he could do to help.

After all, Goku owed so much to Sanzo and he'd done so little to pay any of that back.

Lifting a fist, he knocked tentatively on the door, as though worried if he did it much harder it'd send the entire world into chaos.

Brief silence followed, and before he could raise his fist again, the door swung open and the monk glared down at him.

"_…do I even have to say it?"_

_"I'm not gonna go away! Not until you tell me what's wrong with you, Sanzo. You're acting weird."_ Goku implored, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly, planting his feet firmly in place.

Even if Sanzo tried, he wouldn't be able to lift the chimp and carry him off to leave him elsewhere. There were definite pros in being a youkai. Or something like one, anyhow.

Gathering that he'd not be left alone until the heretic monkey got his way, the priest stepped aside and let the youth into his room. Shutting the door after Goku delightfully crossed the threshold, Sanzo sighed heavily.

"_So what are you going on about? This delusion you have that there's something wrong with me?"_

_"Hai. It's not a de…delusion." _ Whatever that word meant. Goku was certain that wasn't it. He stared up intently at his mentor. The man who had freed him from a cage for which he did not understand the reasons for being placed there to begin with.

His shining Sun was only glowing dimly now.

"_You're different. Meaner, or something. It's kinda hard t' explain, Sanzo, demo, it's like there's something bothering you that you won't talk about." _ His fingers scratched at the side of his spiky head of hair as though digging out the words to best describe what he'd noticed. "_I know that things are all weird 'coz of the girls being here and that Gojyo an' Hakkai an' me are kinda giving you a hard time about it, demo, is it really that bad?" _

Sanzo knitted his brows together, thinning out his lips as he tried to filter out what Goku was really trying to convey. Sighing, he sat on the edge of his bed and sought out a cigarette. That might help relax him before trying to make any kind of answer that might content the pesky youth.

The monk couldn't say that he wasn't touched by the effort, but having someone care so much about his well-being in such a sincere manner…

…it reminded him so much of his late Master Koumyou. And that, in and of itself, was troublesome.

At the same time, he couldn't deny that it made him feel…well, 'special' would be too bawdy a word, but perhaps appreciated, despite his errant mood swings.

Inhaling the Marlboro cigarette deeply, Sanzo leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and stared at Goku from behind blond fringe.

"_What are you trying to say? Is __**what**__ really that bad?"_

_"Um…everything?"_

_"You're not making any sense, Goku."_ As usual. Sanzo kept his glare.

Goku fidgeted before pulling a chair out to sit in. How could he say this without Sanzo blowing up at him? Without seeming like he was trying to pry too much?

The more the youth thought about it, the more he came to realize that no matter what he said, or how he said it, the priest would find it annoying.

Just out with it, then.

"_Is it really that bad to have help? Do you hate them that much? I don't think they mean to keep on getting in our way or anything…I think they're trying to figure out what's goin' on kinda like we still are. It's not their fault we went to their world to find 'em, is it? An' they came back 'coz they __**had**__ to."_ Golden orbs sought out deep violet, hoping for some kind of light to dawn upon the pools. To flash with the sudden occurrence that Goku might be on the right track.

A stream of smoke snaked its way to the ceiling slowly as Sanzo remained silent.

Clearly, there had to be more to this and he wasn't going to speak until Goku finished.

Taking the hint, the heretic fished for more to say.

"_Maybe they might not have come here if Kougaiji and Yaone didn't take Erin away. Maybe they would've anyway 'coz that lady told 'em they had to, or they were supposed to. Demo, how come you gotta treat them like they did something __**wrong**__? They helped us, Sanzo, an' I know you're not always nice, demo, I thought you were the kinda person who wouldn't wanna feel like you owe someone something. Is it wrong for us to be friends with 'em?"_

_"You can be friends with whomever you want. It's none of my concern unless those friends wrong us directly."_ Sanzo grunted, inhaling his cigarette sharply afterward.

Goku frowned, standing up abruptly. There was an anger and disappointment in his companion that he had never felt before.

"_That's not fair! How can you say that, Sanzo? They __**are **__our friends, an' they haven't done anything wrong to us! So why can't you just accept that? Don't you like them at all?"_

Surprised by the outburst of emotion the golden haired monk struggled a moment to find his voice.

What was his problem, really?

Was it bad to have friends? Not that he ever admitted aloud that his companions were friends, yet wasn't that what they were to him? They traveled together, ate, drank, played games, bickered, discussed, and were on this bloody journey together, too, right? They'd saved each other countless times without ever asking for the help and the gratitude was always silent, but there, regardless.

Pride.

That's what it all boiled down to.

The girls were gods in sheep's clothing. Aside from that pesky hag who descended from the sky whenever she saw it fit, what god had ever made it a point to help anyone out?

What made these girls so special that they wouldn't brush them all off like dust on their shoulders?

Clenching his jaw, Sanzo knew that wasn't fair to think about.

They'd bent over backwards for the guys- and still were, even when there was only one more transformation left.

Where would they be after that?

Why bother getting attached to those who would only disappear?

Clearing his throat, Sanzo moved off the bed and extinguished the Marlboro into an ashtray nearby.

"_It's not that I don't like them, Goku."_

The chestnut haired youth listened eagerly.

_"They haven't done anything except for annoy me, which is sometimes less than what I can say for the rest of you idiots I'm on this mission with." _ Pale fingers rested upon a tabletop then curled into a tight fist. "_I just don't see the point in getting close to people who are going to leave us in the dust, do you understand? After the last one changes, I doubt that we'll be following the same paths. Why bother?"_

_"Anou…'coz ya never know what might happen for sure."_ Goku insisted simply, shrugging his shoulders.

Sanzo sighed, not facing his comrade. "_You're too damn optimistic for your own good, brat."_

A little grin formed over the boy's lips. "_You're too grumpy, so what's your point? I'm just sayin'…that just 'coz you say that's how it's gonna be, doesn't mean it'll turn out that way. An' maybe they'll go away after all this, demo, isn't it better t' make friends an' lose 'em than to never make friends at all? I just know that I wanna have all the friends I can get 'coz ya never know when you'll need their help! Besides…it's more fun that way. What's life if ya can't have any fun?"_

Turning toward Goku, Sanzo found what he knew he'd see: an ever-present cheeky grin and a pair of golden orbs shining brightly with hope that he'd somehow gotten through the priest's thick-skulled will.

In a manner of speaking, he had. Goku had a way of forcing those thoughts to the surface no matter how deeply they'd been buried.

Grunting lightly, the blond swung his hand on top of the youth's head, fingers suddenly interlaced by spiky red-brown locks.

_"Sometimes you have too much fun. Don't get carried away, saru."_

_"Ya promise you'll try an' not be so mean?"_

_"…iie. I can't make any promises."_ Sanzo grumbled, but the discouragement falling onto Goku's face made him continue. "_Demo, maybe you weren't too far off with what you said. I'll think about it."_

_"Yatta!"_ Goku flung his arms into the air cheerfully, causing the monk to roll his eyes and push his head to one side as he released the chimp.

"_Now get the hell out of here and leave me alone before I change my mind."_

Honestly.

How did the kid do it? Every time, Genjyo Sanzo felt his will bend underneath that open, honest stare.

Yet how did one fully ignore someone who felt everything so passionately? So purely?

A mystery…

* * *

Hakkai had more than noticed when his hanyou friend had left him without uttering so much as a 'see you later'. The reason for it had been more than evident when the brunette demon's eyes found the young woman traversing the dusty market road on her own.

She seemed upset over something or another. More than that, she seemed to be trying to hold it all in.

As if he couldn't relate. A bitter smile had touched his lips before fading away.

Bottling up emotions seemed to be a past time for the pair. For more than just them. It was almost a theme for every single one of them.

He should talk to her. At least, that was what Gojyo had been so persistent over. Talk to the girl, tell her what was on his mind…what he felt, or thought he felt.

That was just it, however.

Cho Hakkai had no idea if what he felt was simply wishful thinking to be able to push by his past and move on, or if there was a true connection that he was being too fearful of taking by the reins.

Nevertheless, he had found himself turning in his spot, walking still on his side, parallel to the dark haired young woman still clomping over the dirt. Hakkai didn't bother calling out to her- not yet. Instead, his emerald eyes watched her intently from the short distance between them.

She was oblivious to his stare, trudging along with eyebrows narrowed and lips drawn into a line, wheels turning in her mind.

When her head ducked a moment, causing her hair to fall a certain way, Hakkai frowned and nearly stopped in his tracks. Should this girl remind him so much of Kanan? Was he grasping at straws? Hoping that his dead sister, his lover, was going to miraculously rise from her ashy and ruined grave to return to him?

That only happened in the stories, right? Nevertheless, while Hakkai knew that Mandi couldn't possibly be Kanan, there were so many aspects of the young woman which reminded him of her. Simple gestures brought back a flood of memories.

Yet…she didn't even look like Kanan.

And how dare he think that he ought to feel anything for someone else who was not his beloved dead twin? How could he bear to think that he**could** have room in his heart for another?

The fact of the matter was, however…

…he did. He could.

After all, was he not a different person from the past? He had a second chance, a second lifetime to spend, and while Kanan had been the only one he ever wanted to be with, he felt she might have been severely disappointed in him if he never allowed himself any happiness again. Wouldn't she understand it if he didn't want to continue being alone?

Having heard the small noise, though barely just, Mandi lifted her head, turning a confused gaze across the road.

In seeing Hakkai smiling sheepishly, as though he had been caught doing something he ought not be, the young woman picked up her hand and waved in greeting.

She hadn't expected to see him though couldn't say she hadn't secretly hoped to bump into him along the way.

Wherever 'the way' happened to be. She'd been wandering for at least an hour now and hadn't the slightest idea of where she was going or where she'd end up.

Taking the wave as an invitation, Hakkai crossed to the other side, stopping before he stepped too close to the young woman.

"_Kon'nichi wa, Mandi-san."_

"Hey…" She replied lamely, not bothering with what she felt might be a sorry attempt at the language. With as much as she'd been faltering lately, she'd likely make a fool of herself.

If she could have, she'd have warned Hakkai that talking to her at that point might cause him to walk away feeling a bit dumber than when he arrived. Or perhaps she was being too hard on herself.

"Nice day, huh?" A hand lifted to the sky, gesturing to the cloudless blue expanse. "A little warm, though." The sun was relentless without any cover. It definitely had to be a summer month if any at all.

Hakkai laughed lightly, furrowing his brows together, lost.

Again, he found himself wishing that he could understand or that **she** could, though he knew the cost of what it would take for her to be able to hear his words without having to guess at them.

A wrench squeezed at his insides at the thought and he sought something to say. A simple word, something that required no charades.

However, as he struggled to do so, a horrible roaring sound came up from behind them like a rush of wind.

Green orbs snapped shut.

Not now.

Already? So soon? No, not now.

The sound came again and he felt Mandi push past him with a shout.

Spinning in place, Hakkai reopened his eyes to find the young woman stalking off rather angrily toward a group of teenaged boys surrounding what looked to be a barred cage no more than nine feet long. The roar repeated itself, distressed and aggravated, and Hakkai came to realize that the teens were teasing a tiger which was imprisoned inside of the cage.

"Oi!! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Mandi yelled, eyes narrowed sharply as she grabbed a shorter, younger teen by the shoulder. He was wielding a long stick in one hand and a large rock in the other.

Startled, the group of boys, seeming to range in the ages of thirteen to seventeen, stopped throwing their rocks and prodding at the animal to see who had disrupted their 'fun'.

They laughed at the sight of a foreigner woman waving her hands at them to shoo them off, mocking her with their broken sticks and imitating her motions, screaming back at her some nonsense she didn't comprehend.

"Get away from here- what did this animal ever do to you? I've got half a mind to break the lock and let it eat every single one of your stupid asses for being so mean!"

Hakkai came up behind her, placing both of his hands on her shoulders, praying that she wouldn't do anything rash. The anger in her voice was more than evident, her words likely an outcry against the abuse of the tiger, which had resorted to growling in warning, batting large paws from between the metal bars of its captive.

_"I think you boys had better go before you get into trouble. It's not very amusing to be torturing any living being. How about if we were to place you in that cage with the tiger? Do you think he would find your teasing so funny then?"_

_"Maa, you can't do something' like that mister!"_ One of the teens shouted, the older one it appeared, and likely the leader of the unruly gang.

A thin, dangerous smile flickered over the brunette demon's effeminate face, his fingers curling more into Mandi's shoulders to hold her back from beating any of them inches within their lives. Even if it was what they deserved, he didn't think it would bode well with the rest of the town.

_"I can't? Are you certain you want to test me? Haven't you learned anything from what happened to your town's magistrate last night? I was there when it happened. How do you know that this woman isn't a goddess in disguise as well? Perhaps she'll punish you all gravely…as she very well should…as you very well deserve."_

While she didn't know what was being said, Mandi could see the fear suddenly striking in each pair of young eyes. A faint upturn at the corner of her mouth came next as the boys muttered what sounded like curses and dropped their rocks and sticks before scattering down the road.

The tiger's yellow eyes gazed warily out at the remaining strangers, a growl still low in his throat. However, rather than stalking back and forth in its prison, it sat in place, watching and waiting.

_"We should go now."_ Hakkai murmured, trying to resist the urge to bring the young woman closer to him.

Mandi ignored him, moving out from under his touch, and approached the cage in spite of the warnings the animal elicited.

"Shh…it's alright, now, see? They're gone now…"

"_Mandi-san…Onegai, get back from there. It's too dangerous. He'll hurt you."_ Hakkai pleaded, stepping forward, grasping her hand.

She halted for a moment, half-turning to gaze at him. The feel of his fingers tightening about the back of her hand had sent a shock through her, yet it wasn't something she could address- not when there was something else calling.

With her free hand, Mandi put up her pointer-finger, signaling that she just needed a minute. Somehow, she knew this wouldn't end badly. Hakkai released her hand simultaneously with a breath which had been bated, allowing her to do whatever fool's errand she'd given to herself.

Facing forward once more the young woman removed her eyeglasses and brought her honey-brown eyes to meet the bright yellow of the Bengal. The animal wasn't very large, yet its frame hardly seemed to fit in the narrow confines of the cage it sat inside.

What might have once been brilliant orange fur appeared matted and dull, meshing into the black stripes almost sloppily. The colors seemed more mottled than distinguished from one another.

She approached until she stood directly in front of the bars, clearly within a reachable striking range. A paw could very easily slip out and grab her.

The tiger held still, eyes locked with the young woman before him. His growling had subsided into even breathing and the ferocity in his expression had vanished.

Now it only seemed curious.

"Yeah…it's alright, see? I'm not going to hurt you…poor thing…you look like hell." Mandi commented, and the tiger snarled, lifting his head as though agreeing with her. She laughed off the start it had given her while seeing the flash of long canines before the Bengal returned to a calm state again. "I see that you agree. Who put you in here? Don't they know tigers are vain and hate to look so unbecoming?"

A soft growl answered her, the eye contact breaking momentarily as the golden eyes slipped to one side toward a shop and then returned to her gaze again.

Standing at a safe distance, though not too far away to snatch Mandi away from danger should the need arise, Hakkai watched the scene, fascinated. So she could talk to animals, too?

Or perhaps she could only speak with this one.

It made him nervous as to what might happen if she conversed with the animal for too long, yet it seemed privy to whatever she was saying to it. The animal's face glowed with intelligence.

When Hakkai saw her fingers reaching through the bars his warning never made it out, dying upon his tongue.

The tiger had bent its head forward against the bars, eyes closing, and a loud purr escaped its throat as the young woman stroked over the fur of his nose and forehead. It had gone from untamed to domesticated in a matter of moments.

"That's a good boy…" Mandi whispered, knowing full well she'd have to eventually leave the beast alone. It horrified her to think that it'd be subjected to more abuse, but what more could she do? She had no money, and apart from that, didn't even know who claimed to own the poor thing.

As though replying to her worries, a voice called out angrily from the shop nearby- the one the Bengal had seemed to look over to seconds ago.

Mandi drew her hand back as the tiger whirled away from her, baring his teeth at the tall man briskly approaching them.

_"What do you think you are doing? That animal is dangerous! He'll take your hand off! Get back from there!"_

Hakkai found himself once more at the young woman's side, closer to the cage than he cared to be. The tiger was growling now at the man, clearly showing signs of hatred for him.

_"Beg pardon, sir, demo, the tiger was being perfectly kind to her just before you came outside. She was only petting-"_

_"-Kind? Ha! I don't believe that for a moment."_ The shop-keep scoffed, delivering a nervous glance to the animal still snarling at him. _"He used to be tame, demo, he has been thoroughly abused and has turned wild. My wife took him in thinking she could rehabilitate him. Clearly that didn't work and now she is dead. I want to shoot the beast for killing her, demo, it is unlawful. I suggest that you two leave before he grows too angry."_

Mandi glanced at the tiger sorrowfully. She didn't know what the man was saying, yet it was evident that the animal wasn't fond of him. Hakkai laughed nervously as the brunette girl spoke a simple word, questioning the man.

"_Namae?"_ She wanted to know the tiger's name, at the very least.

The shop-keep snorted. "_Vayu. Some name for a savage thing."_

Hakkai felt his breath catch at the name.

Vayu.

The Hindu god of Air and Wind.

This was no coincidence.

He nodded to the man, telling him they would be leaving in just a moment.

Seemingly satisfied, the shop keep turned back for his business.

Mandi glared after the man having taken offense to the idea that the tiger had reacted so violently to him. What had they done to the animal?

Turning her gaze back to the upset creature she found that this time her words did nothing to soothe him.

"Vayu…shh, hey, it's alright."

Vayu roared before barely making a turn-around in his confinements, laying down with his back toward the pair standing outside of his bars.

"_Mandi-san…"_ Hakkai called softly. He reached his hand to her shoulder again, steering her away from the sight of the abused animal. When they had gotten a fair distance down the road he spoke again. "_Daijoubu?"_

"Mm-hmm."The dark haired girl shrugged, still preoccupied by what had happened.

In glancing up toward the man trying to offer her comfort without crossing any undecided lines Mandi realized that they were standing near the square where the Obon Festival would be held.

There wasn't a whole lot that she knew about the fest, aside from the fact it was held once a year out of respect for deceased ancestors. Something like the equivalent to the _Dios de la Muerte _in the Mexican and Spanish traditions. She was curious to see one, though wondered if these people might be offended by an outsider coming into a familial festivity.

Following the line of view of his female friend, Hakkai laughed shyly before looking back down to her.

He could ask her to join him that evening.

Just for the festival.

She seemed interested in it, after all. It'd be a learning experience.

Cultural references.

Not at all a date.

His cheeks reddened a touch.

Not a date, but it could be.

"_Would you like to join me for the festival tonight, Mandi-san?" _ There, he asked.

"Huh?" Almond orbs flickered up, lost.

He asked and she didn't even realize it.

A light, fluttering laugh came from Hakkai purely made of nerves.

_"Would you…"_ He gestured to her then brought his hand to his chest, hoping the meaning wouldn't become misinterpreted. "_…come with me tonight? For the Obon Festival?"_ With the last, his hand motioned to the paper lanterns being placed.

"Oh." Mandi followed the hand-signals and then stared blankly at him for a few seconds before it sunk in what he was asking her. "Oh!"

He was asking her to go with him to the festival. She smiled uncertainly.

Wouldn't the other two just be absolutely ecstatic if they were seeing this right now?

Anxiety gripped her. What if they had to dance or something? She didn't know what she was supposed to do or what actual activities took place during one of these. Hakkai would probably guide her as best as he could, but then that would mean having to be close to him the entire time.

Then again, wouldn't she have to be near him if she joined him anyway?

Hakkai's brows lifted over his green eyes as his smile became nervous.

It wasn't a date, even though Gojyo would probably make sure to tell him otherwise. She could very well say no if she wanted to.

He hoped she'd say she'd go, however.

_"Anou…if you don't want to-"_

_"Hai."_ Mandi interjected, smiling briefly to him, nodding her head. "I'll go with you. Um…what time?" She tapped her wrist at an imaginary watch.

"_Ahh…ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, nana.." _ He held up seven fingers, having counted through each one. It might have been completely unnecessary, though he hadn't totally missed out on the fact that the young woman seemed to be losing her bearings against the language barrier. _"Nana?"_

"Seven?" Mandi asked, counting his longer fingers, though she had actually known what he had been saying that time. "Okay." Another nod. " I'll…see you at seven."

"_Hai…"_ Hakkai reiterated, watching as she wandered off for the inn.

* * *

When seven o'clock had rolled around, Cho Hakkai was only just stepping out into the hallway at the inn. He despised being late for anything though Gojyo had hindered him from leaving on time.

Promptness was key for making impressions, though the brunette supposed he was long gone from the idea of a first impression.

Just as he had suspected, his hanyou friend had teased and laughed about the 'date' Hakkai made with the young woman some hours earlier. Gojyo had boasted only to himself that the talk he'd had with his roommate had broken the ice somehow. No matter how much Hakkai denied the idea of it being some kind of official _anything_, the redhead was convinced that the guy had finally realized just how smitten he was.

"_If ya aren't going on a date then why did ya bother getting yourself all spiffed up for this? It's just an Obon fest, man. It's not like the dead care about what you're wearing."_

_"It's respectful."_ Hakkai insisted, having taken one last look in the mirror. His hair would always be a little bit messy, but at least it was more contained than what it would look like if he'd just rolled out of bed. He'd even gone through the lengths of taking a second shower and decided he would wear something more casual than his usual.

It might be considered as over the top for a simple Obon viewing and it certainly had been read that way by the hanyou.

Gojyo laughed. "_Yeah, it's respectful that ya smell extra nice, too? You're not lookin' to get laid tonight are ya? Coz if you are…hmm. Iie, actually, it would probably work."_

_"Gojyo!"_ Mortified by the statement, Hakkai had hurried away from the lewd words, having caught sight of the time. "_It's already past time for me to leave. I said I'd be there at seven and I haven't even walked out yet."_

_"Relax, Hakkai, it's just across the hall. Besides, you shouldn't always be so prompt. Makes you look desperate. Won't get laid that way."_ A snicker followed and the dark haired youkai sighed as he left.

Knocking at the door where he knew the girls were staying, Hakkai smiled vaguely to himself as he spotted a streak of water-stained footprints in the flooring.

He recalled that last night, after Ashley's transformation into Jiang Miyoko, he had been returning to his room and noticed a trail of water messing the thin carpeting. In looking down the hallway, Mandi had just emerged from someone's room dressed in the most ridiculous European styled maid getup, soaking wet from head to toe. She had met his stare for only a few moments before her cheeks flared bright red and she rushed herself into the next room.

It'd been cute, actually, to see her working despite her obvious discomfort. He couldn't say the clothing was ill-suited for her, either, though if he thought too far on the subject, Hakkai wondered if he'd be classified as a pervert.

The soft click of the door in front of him opening brought the twenty-two year old back to the present. Blue eyes met his as Lian pulled the door open farther.

"_Ah. Maaandiii! Your date is here!"_

_"G-gomen, demo, it's not a…"_ Hakkai began, though trailed off.

Why bother?

Mandi shouted something unintelligible in reply before coming into view and pushed past the Earth goddess. Hakkai side-stepped to allow her into the hallway, emerald orbs traveling her form. She hadn't much to work with, he imagined, and simply wore the travel-wear he had supplied to the young women some time ago. Yet it was clean and pressed and her dark hair hinted at dampness from a fresh shower. She'd taken the liberty to tie most of it back, leaving fringe to frame her face and fall over her shoulders.

"_Shall we then?"_ He rethought offering her his arm and instead gestured that they go and started the walk down the hallway.

It wasn't until they were outside, standing on the outskirts of the lit up Obon festival that their nerves had begun to simmer down.

The villagers had already gathered. Some were playing games that were set up to make things light-hearted, especially for the children. Others stood in groups around a man-made makeshift 'pond', holding paper boats and candles in their hands. They would be lit and set upon the water with the names of their loved ones scribed inside. Laughter rose above the chatter as families grouped together, recounting private tales that the pair would never hear.

Turning his head partway, Hakkai noticed a small band preparing to play. The Obon dance would begin quite soon, though it had been a while since he had participated in one. Gojyo had made him do it the second year they were living together, thinking that it might give his roomie a sense of freedom over the death of Kanan.

It had been a nice sentiment, though Hakkai had done it very grudgingly. He didn't quite think it looked right when he danced and was certain that Kanan's spirit would have spent more time laughing at him than worrying about her liberation.

As the traditional music started and the townsfolk filed in for the massive dance, Hakkai's focus left the activities to watch the young woman beside him. She had been taken in by everything, face sealed with interest.

"This is kind of neat." She murmured, clearly more to herself than to him. How could she really explain her appeal to the event with words, anyhow?

Not at all worried, and having gathered that she was impressed solely from Mandi's expressions, Hakkai took her by the shoulders once more.

"_We can have a look around, if you'd like."_ He had taken to guiding her around the town in such a manner, though wondered for a moment if he wasn't just giving himself an excuse to be close. To touch her.

Face warming, the young woman let herself be led toward the games. A familiar pair of amber-gold eyes found them and Goku's boyish voice piped up over the music playing.

"_Hey! You wanna play? Sanzo gave me some money, demo, he said that wasn't gonna come 'coz he didn't have a reason to or something like that."_

_"Iie. Arigatou, though."_ Hakkai declined, silently praying that Goku would accept the reply and let them be on their way.

While the night sky remained clear, he had a sick feeling forming in the pit of his stomach that he hadn't much time left.

For what, though?

Perhaps to take heed of Gojyo's advice to him. To say, or to show, what had been plaguing his shoulders as of late.

Fortunately, Goku took the hint, forgoing the games to seek out something to eat. As Gojyo's voice rose over the din, Hakkai pressed his current company on a bit faster than he had meant to.

Mandi arched her brows, weaving her way through villagers before turning to face the slender youkai.

"Are you in some kind of hurry or something?"

He froze. Was she upset? He couldn't tell.

Sensing that she might have come off wrong, Mandi placed a hand on his upper arm, smiling apologetically.

"Hey, don't worry. It's not like I'm mad or anything. I'm just wondering if you were…never mind. You can't even understand me." She shook her head before turning back toward the festivities.

Hakkai breathed in relief, having been holding his breath, and followed after the young woman who had apparently decided she wanted a bit more freedom in exploring the plethora of culture before them.

Along the way of avoiding intermingling with obon dancers, they had spotted the two already-transformed goddesses. Lian and Jiang were surrounded by a handful of people who had broken away from the dance and seemed as though they were being interrogated. Not wishing to deal with more taunting, Mandi curved sharply away, bringing them both to a stop where the bamboo-trimmed pond had been erected.

The music was dying down as the dancers began to file away, preparing to light their candles.

"_There'll be a lot of flames lit on the water tonight, I imagine."_ Hakkai said thoughtfully, coming to stand next to the young woman.

An elderly woman came up beside them, her back bent and face etched with age. Placing a paper boat with a name scrawled by a shaky hand atop the ripples, the woman lit her candle and murmured a small prayer.

Mandi bent her head forward, catching the dark eyes of the old lady which were filled with a mixture of grief and hope. The twenty year old offered up what she hoped was a compassionate smile and the woman returned it before speaking to the pair.

"_My husband passed away very recently…it is strange and foreign to me, waking up each day without seeing his face. Youkai have not been so discriminatory toward the weak."_

_"Oh dear…"_ Hakkai whispered, unable to muster much else more aside from a sympathetic apology.

The old woman nodded, glancing about as others came to encircle the pond, setting their candle-toting boats onto the water.

_"It is true, the saying. You never know what you truly have until it is gone…do you have one you miss?"_

Would it be wrong to lie?

He supposed she didn't need to know the details.

He didn't answer, however, only turning his gaze back to Mandi.

There was someone he missed very much, yet it seemed to him that it would soon be made into two he would be bereft of.

The older woman nodded her head, turning to greet someone else and left the pair alone.

"We should light one, Hakkai." Mandi stated, turning to see a table not too far off with a few blank boats and candles remaining.

Hakkai hadn't the chance to protest as the young woman slipped away from him, going to the table. Her form hunched over it briefly as she wrote on the inside of the paper and then, grabbing up a candle and a match, she returned to him, holding it all out.

"Here…you should, you know?"

Green eyes turned down to the Romanized letters written neatly. He couldn't make them out.

"Oh…I guess you can't read that." Why hadn't she remembered that? Pointing to the name, she spoke. "It's for Kanan…unless you don't want to?"

He understood.

Kanan.

How many times had he thought of his sister today? How many times had he been reminded of her laugh, her face, her smile, her voice?

Hakkai couldn't say that the gesture didn't cause him to choke up a little. His throat tightened in a strange way as he took the match from Mandi's fingers. She held the boat and candle up together as he lit it.

He shook the flame from the match and took the boat carefully from her hands, leaning over the pond for a time.

"_Kanan…perhaps I am undeserving of a few things, demo, I am having a difficult time ignoring certain feelings. I hope that you'll be able to forgive me, that you won't be too upset with me when I finally do come to meet you again. Rest peacefully, dear one…aishiteru."_

Sighing softly Hakkai placed his prayer into the water, watching until it merged with all of the departed souls being freed by their loved ones.

When he turned back to his companion, he found that her cheeks- illuminated by all of the flickering candles- had been visited by thin tears straying from her light coffee-colored eyes.

"_Mandi-san?"_ Concern laced his tone as he curled a finger beneath her chin, lifting her face.

"I think she heard you…" Her voice barely rose above a breath as her hand moved up to grasp at his wrist lightly.

She had meant to bring his fingers away from her, yet as she had been learning, nothing seemed to ever go as planned.

A strong pulse of her heart thudded against her ribs as she found herself irresistibly drawn to the magnetic green of Hakkai's gaze. It was stupid to feel as she did, but she honestly couldn't help it, nor could she hold it in for much longer.

The urge to resist, to leave and return to the inn, was no match for the allure of possibility. What might happen if she stayed in that spot?

Hakkai opened his palm under Mandi's chin, sliding it to her cheek.

The warmth emanating from his hand caused her lean against the touch rather than shy away from it and she moved from his wrist to cover the back of his hand, holding it in place.

"I shouldn't feel like this about you, Hakkai, but I do. And it scares the crap out of me to be honest. It's like I'm noticing this, giving in, just a little bit too late and I've got no idea what's in store for any single one of us…I hate admitting to a lot of things but I'm telling you right now…I'm really scared that after everything…I'm never going to see you again."

Mandi shut her eyes, lashes shadowing the soft light touching her cheeks.

Who cared if he didn't know what she had said. Truth be told, she just needed to say it aloud, whether to him, to herself, or to a blank wall that couldn't repeat any of it.

Hakkai wasn't certain of what the young woman had said, yet he had caught the emotion loud and clear. He imagined that he felt very much the same way as she did.

Drawing her closer to him, the slender youkai bent so that he was even with her right ear.

"_If there was anything that I could say to you right now that might be more befitting, I wish I could have thought of it sooner. I'm not certain…of what it is that I feel, of if I can give it a name. Demo, for even that much, and for everything that you've done for me without realizing it…you have my gratitude. Arigatou, my dear…"_

In hearing the 'thank you', Mandi's eyes partially opened and she glanced up at Hakkai as he lingered dangerously close to her.

Her heart pulsed extra-strong once again as they shared a connected gaze for far longer than what should be considered merely friendly. It was one full of question and unspoken longing.

She felt like the heroine out of the romance novels her friends used to read. The ones she made fun of being terribly cliché and sappy.

How the tables had turned- and Mandi didn't quite seem to care anymore.

Hakkai brushed his thumb over where one tear still clung to her lashes, curving his free arm around her waist, and leaned in tentatively.

He was nervous beyond belief- it'd been a long while. What if he was out of practice? What if this was awful? What if she didn't want this?

Nevertheless, he couldn't stop now.

His fingers moved to her chin and he brought the pad of his thumb down as he bent, touching his lips to hers, softly.

An explosion of heat raced through them, crackling with electricity. The fireworks idiom came to mind only long enough to be thought of before being snuffed out by the deepening of the kiss.

Mandi melted against Hakkai's chest, locking her hands around his hips as he molded his mouth to hers and held her to him tighter.

For the third time, her heart pulsed strongly.

She pulled away with a gasp, cheeks flushed.

Something was awry.

As the wind began to howl around the festival, the young woman slipped out of the hands trying to hold her in place.

"Hakkai…"

He made a noise of comprehension, looking around as the lanterns began to slam noisily into the wooden posts bearing them, decorations flailing free from their places, and the lit candles beginning to extinguished.

Turning sharply, he already discovered that Gojyo, Goku, Lian, and Jiang were ushering people away from the site.

"_You need to get to safety! Go into your houses, stay together!"_ Hakkai instructed as the confused mass began to realize the urgency of the situation.

When they were far enough and there didn't seem to be any stragglers, the five spun away from getting the bystanders out of the way.

"_Aw look, I think our little girl is finally about to grow up." _ Lian commented, grinning from ear to ear.

"_Yep, it seems so."_ Jiang responded, placing a hand over the water pocket keeping her axolotl.

_"And just the way I said it would happen."_ The Earth elemental added pointedly.

Jiang rolled her gaze toward the other. "_Don't give yourself too much credit. I think this one happened all because of those two."_

_"Sure, sure."_

Mandi turned her face skyward, the banter between her friends drowned out by the rushing of wind beginning to sweep in from between buildings. Shutters rattled with the threat to rip away completely from the hinges and from a distance, the roar of a Bengal tiger rode the gusts.

The others backed away, bringing themselves to huddle together in an open archway as dust from the road kicked up. What had been a cloudless night sky had transcended into something dark and ominous in appearance, heavy with black clouds tinged with green.

Jiang and Lian were smart enough to realize what the color meant and braced themselves as the wind speed increased.

None of them spoke this time- it seemed futile to even try. Over the deafening shrieks howling from above, they wouldn't have been able to hear what the other said.

Instead, they watched as the dust cloud grew, encircling the twenty year-old.

Mandi's head snapped forward, even as her feet left solid ground, her form lifting by invisible hands. Her arms spread out, eyes closing as a slim funnel from above traveled downward, threatening to consume everything in its path.

Its path, however, only consisted of direct contact with the young woman below. The churning grey and black clouds enveloped her completely, screaming in its ferocity.

The sound was reminiscent of a tiger, and with that thought, Hakkai had the notion to glance down the opposite direction of the phenomenon.

Vayu had seemingly escaped his cage and barreled down the dirt path with strong determination, ignoring the fact that all four limbs were jostling him with pain beneath his matted fur.

Nudging the others, Hakkai pointed out the tiger. He knew that the animal was nothing ordinary- at least, not any longer.

Five pairs of eyes followed the Bengal's path, witnessing as it opened its mouth and roared just before plunging itself into the cyclone where their friend was being hidden.

A flash of what seemed like lightning blinded them temporarily, and by the time the spots had begun to fade, so did the sound of wind ripping through the town.

The sky began to clear as the tornado slowly evaporated into nothing, and when the dust had settled, it revealed the figure of a young woman kneeling at the side of the tiger, Vayu.

Except that Vayu looked far more majestic than he had initially. The orange fur glistened with a pristine sheen and the black markings were more striking than the mottled mess they had been. His vivid yellow tiger-eyes stared back with unmistakable intellect and he stood proudly by the newly born goddess.

Standing from seemingly protecting the animal from the harshness of the recent endeavor, the elemental turned toward those waiting to hear what her identity was now. The element had taken full effect, changing dark cherry-chocolate hair into pitch black touched with strips of platinum blue, pulled back into a single, thick plait which reached the middle of her back.

The clothing had transcended that of the mortal realm, becoming a gauzy white and blue material which wrapped about her neck and torso, belted with silver hoops at the thighs, and splitting down the legs into fabric draping to her ankles front and back. Her arms were bare to the elbows where silver bands decorated with small stones held in place half sleeves that obscured the sight of her hands almost completely.

To top it all off, the wind chakra marked her forehead, and the end of all of the rebirths.

"So?" Lian prodded, tired of the suspense.

The Wind goddess smiled mysteriously. "So what?"

Jiang lifted a blond brow. "So are you going to tell us who you are?"

"Oh…sure, I guess I could do that." Another grin as eyes the color of the shining sun took in the impatient expressions of her friends.

"What's with the leading on, honey? Just tell us who ya are now, huh?" Gojyo muttered, narrowly escaping a jab of Jiang's elbow. Something told him she could have busted a rib or two that way.

"Please…introduce yourself?" Hakkai asked, stepping forward. He was amazed, yet quite saddened inside. At the very least, he had expressed himself to the young woman while she was still mortal.

The goddess glanced down to Vayu before laughing. "Alright, alright…You can call me…Yu Michiko. The last of the Elementals."


End file.
